This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah County search and rescue crews found three jet skiers alive and well Friday morning after they had spent the night on the waters of Utah Lake.
Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said a Department of Public Safety helicopter spotted the trio — a woman and two men from Nephi — with their machines and not far from Utah Lake State Park.
One of the jet skiers reportedly experienced trouble out on the water late Thursday afternoon and the two others went out to tow it and its rider back in. None of the three returned when expected and friends called 911.
Cannon said a search was launched but suspended at nightfall. It resumed at dawn Friday, with searchers looking along the lake's shoreline, on the water in boats and overhead with the assistance of the helicopter.
About 8 a.m., the three were spotted and recovered by boat. Cannon said they were "likely a bit wrinkled" from being in the lake overnight, and would be checked for hypothermia, but were otherwise in good condition.
The trio — identified as Angel and Laticia Hernandez, 45 and 49, respectively, and 47-year-old Guadalupe Veloz — reportedly tied two of their still-floating jet skis together, and then tied themselves to the machines to wait out the night.
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