An outside report says crews lacked open-water training and made tactical mistakes as an SUV went under.
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — A 53-year-old man died after his SUV slid into a canal off Garden Road on April 22, 2024, and an outside review now says Riviera Beach firefighters lacked formal open-water training and made critical errors as the vehicle sank.
City leaders ordered the independent review after cellphone video of the rescue raised questions about tactics and timing. The analysis says crews broke a window, opened a door and lost the vehicle as it took on water, then ended active rescue within minutes while another firefighter from a neighboring agency dived beneath the surface. The case has renewed scrutiny on how departments prepare for canal and Intracoastal calls in a city bordered by water, and what must change after a drowning that anguished the victim’s family and responding firefighters alike.
Heath Thomas, a construction manager for the Palm Beach County School District, left home that morning headed to work. Minutes later, his SUV left the roadway and drifted into a dark canal along Garden Road. Witnesses called 911 as the vehicle remained afloat with Thomas conscious but dazed inside. Firefighters arrived and tried to reach him by breaking glass. Cellphone video captured the moment a back door was pulled open; the SUV lurched, filled and went under as rescuers swam for the bank. “Get out!” someone shouted as the roof disappeared into the water. Thomas’s wife, Gia, later said she had believed at first that “they were doing everything they could for him,” a view she said changed when she saw the video and the findings.
The review, commissioned by the city and conducted by a Miami-based safety firm, says crews entered the canal without the standard open-water setup: there was no safety diver posted, no line tender on shore and no rope securing the vehicle to guide it toward land. Investigators wrote that shattering the driver’s window and opening a rear door allowed water to rush in, causing the SUV to sink before rescuers could reach Thomas inside. The incident commander asked broadly if firefighters were “good with getting into the water” rather than confirming their swimming abilities and specific training, the report says. It also states that 23 standard operating guidelines were not followed by command staff on scene. As the SUV slipped beneath the surface, a Palm Beach County firefighter arrived and went into the canal, diving down with help from a Riviera Beach firefighter who had ocean lifeguard experience to bring Thomas back to shore. The report notes that Assistant Chief Keith Golden declared the operation a recovery rather than a rescue about 15 minutes after he arrived, a decision that ended efforts that the department’s medical director generally advises can continue for up to 40 minutes in similar cases.
The document says none of the Riviera Beach firefighters interviewed reported receiving formal department training for this type of open-water rescue before the call, despite the city being bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway, the ocean and about eight miles of canals. Preferred tactics, the reviewers wrote, include securing the vehicle first, tying it off and using a line to guide it toward shore while surface-rescue teams enter with proper flotation and protective gear. The analysis adds that crews on Garden Road were missing those safety measures and that the command team failed to follow multiple guidelines designed to protect rescuers and stabilize vehicles in water. While the reviewers concluded firefighters on scene “did their best under difficult circumstances,” they found systemic gaps in preparation and policy that increased risk and reduced the chances of a successful rescue.
Riviera Beach Fire Chief John Curd ordered the outside review after questions surfaced about the video and timeline. In interviews summarized by the report, several firefighters said they were devastated by Thomas’s death and had been asking for water-rescue training for years. In a response to investigators, the department said it has now launched swimming and water-rescue programs, rewritten policies and hired a full-time training officer. The department did not immediately provide details on how many members have completed the new training, when the policy changes took effect or what equipment upgrades were purchased. Officials also did not release a full schedule of planned drills or whether new guidelines specify when to shift from rescue to recovery on water calls. City leaders have not announced discipline related to command decisions identified in the report.
Family members have pressed for answers about the sequence of decisions on the bank and in the water as the SUV went under. Gia Thomas said she cannot understand why a door was opened while the vehicle was still floating or why a rope was not tied to steer it toward shore. “They could have saved him,” she said of her husband, a father and longtime school construction manager. On the video, voices can be heard calling for a rope as the SUV descends, and at least one bystander gasps as the water swallows the cabin. Firefighters interviewed for the review described the scene as chaotic and emotionally wrenching. Some said the lack of training and equipment on open water had been a long-standing concern they had raised before the Garden Road call.
Records in the review lay out a step-by-step timeline that begins with the 911 calls and ends with the declaration of recovery status. After Thomas was pulled to land by the arriving Palm Beach County firefighter and a Riviera Beach firefighter, the report says command did not order immediate transport to a hospital. The department’s medical director told investigators that, as a general matter, resuscitation in similar scenarios can be attempted for up to 40 minutes. The review does not state precisely how long CPR continued on the canal bank or whether advanced life support interventions were attempted on scene, and it does not identify the exact minute Thomas was officially pronounced dead. Those details remain unclear in public records released to date.
Since the review’s findings were delivered, the department has said it is adding training and updating policies. Officials have not released a public implementation report, a full completion roster or dates for skills verification. No city council vote on funding changes tied directly to the findings has been announced. The outside consultants recommended formal open-water rescue instruction, equipment checks, command refresher training and clear criteria for shifting from rescue to recovery on drownings and vehicle-in-water calls. The city said those steps are underway but did not provide a timeline for when audits or follow-up evaluations would be published.
On Garden Road, the canal is edged by grass and low brush, with light industrial buildings nearby. The cellphone footage, recorded from the bank, shows firefighters in the water around a listing SUV, then a swirl as the back door opens and the vehicle sinks. “Oh, oh,” a voice shouts as the cabin floods. The Palm Beach County firefighter arrives and goes straight in, disappearing below the surface before the men on the bank pull Thomas ashore. Several Riviera Beach firefighters later told investigators they were “extremely upset” by the outcome and believed additional training and equipment would help on future calls. One said the drowning had “stayed with the crew” as they returned to the station that day.
As of this week, the independent review stands as the most complete public account of the rescue and the department’s response. City officials say training and policy changes are in motion. The next milestone is a detailed update from the fire department on how many firefighters have completed open-water instruction and when new guidelines will be fully in effect.
Author note: Last updated Nov. 15, 2025.