When Michael Hoffmann set out on a small boat from Homosassa, he could not have imagined the emergency that would unfold just hours later. A sudden heart attack left him unconscious and floundering in the Gulf of Mexico, his body drifting toward the open water.
A Lucky Rescue on the Gulf
Jayden Todd, an offensive lineman for Florida State University, was among the few on the water who noticed the distress. He dove into the waves, swam to the drifting vessel, and hauled Hoffmann back aboard, preventing the situation from turning fatal.
When Seconds Count
Within a minute, a Citrus County Sheriff’s boat crewed by Deputy Robbie Crosnoe and former firefighter EMT Seth Greco arrived on the scene. Greco immediately began CPR after Crosnoe’s AED failed to deliver a shock, and the team raced Hoffmann to shore where emergency medical services were waiting.
Hoffmann spent a week and a half in the hospital, but his wife Lizet was by his side throughout the recovery, and doctors confirmed a full return to health.
Reflecting on the incident, Todd said he felt he was simply doing the right thing, describing the convergence of people and timing as divine. Crosnoe echoed the sentiment, calling the odds of every responder being in the exact place at the exact moment a 100,000‑to‑one shot.
Hoffmann now credits the coordinated effort of his rescuer, the first‑responders, and what he calls orchestrated events for his survival.