Florida Woman Rescues Man from Ocean Who Is Suspect in Double Homicide

A woman visiting Vero Beach, Florida, rescued a man from the ocean on March 24, 2023. The woman, identified only as Belinda, was walking near Riomar Beach when she heard the man calling for help from the water. She entered the ocean and instructed him to float on his back to allow the waves to carry him to shore.

Belinda told ABC affiliate WPBF 25 News that the man said he was exhausted and tired. She responded by encouraging him to float and reach the shore. After assisting him on the sand, the man stated he would never go out that far again and mentioned he intended to take a long vacation.

Investigators later identified the man as 64-year-old Jesse Ellis, the primary suspect in the fatal shootings of Stacie Mason and Danny Ooley. Both victims were employees of the Indian River County Public Works Department. Mason was Ellis's estranged wife; the couple had been married for 13 years and were in the process of separating.

m. on March 24 in a parking lot near the Indian River County Public Library. Vero Beach Police Chief David Currey stated that Mason and Ooley were colleagues and believed to be in a relationship. Police described the incident as a crime of passion. Shortly after the shootings, emergency services responded to reports of a man entering the ocean fully clothed near South Beach Park.

Rescue crews located a man nearly 900 yards offshore by boat. The man provided a false name and was deemed safe at the time. Investigators later determined that this individual may have been Ellis.

Footage released by investigators shows Belinda assisting Ellis on the sand after he reached the shore. Belinda stated she was unaware of the man's identity or the allegations against him during the rescue. She told WPBF 25 News that she could not have left someone to drown and would have called 911 if she had known the situation.

>"I could not leave him in the water no matter what. " — Belinda (WPBF 25 News) Ellis has not been apprehended. Police have warned the public not to approach him. Indian River County authorities continue to urge anyone with information on his whereabouts to contact 911.

The incident affects local residents and employees of the public works department, with ongoing investigations into the shootings and Ellis's evasion of capture.