Two fishermen rescued a nude fugitive they found sitting on a tree branch in an Australian crocodile habitat. Cam Faust said on Wednesday that he and fellow recreational fisherman Kev Joiner heard Luke Voskresensky, 40, scream for help on Sunday as they set up crab traps from his dinghy in mangroves outside the northern city of Darwin.
Faust said Voskresensky – who was covered in mud, cuts and insect bites – explained that he had been lost for four days, survived by eating snails and used his clothes “to make pieces on the way”.
“It didn’t make sense to us,” said Fausto, referring to the explanation for his nakedness. “He made a nest in the tree and was just a meter (39 inches) above the water and there were crocodiles in the water, so he did well to survive.”
Joiner said that friends hesitated before bringing Voskresensky on board.
“After seeing how badly he looked and how many cuts he had all over his body and he was dehydrated and very weak … we thought it would be better to put him on the boat,” said Joiner.
“We think he must have had a great night after the New Year, he got lost and there was a mischief in the bush,” he added.
Faust said he took off his underwear and handed Voskresensky his shorts and a beer while the trio returned to Darwin.
“It looked like he needed a beer, even though he was in really bad shape,” said Faust.
An ambulance was waiting on a Darwin boat ramp when they arrived. Voskresensky was taken to a hospital in Darwin, where he was placed under police surveillance while being treated for exposure.
Police said Voskresensky was on bail after being accused of armed robbery, several aggravated attacks, deprivation of liberty and theft. But he turned off his electronic monitoring device last week and tried to escape the police.
Because he was hospitalized, Voskresensky was excused from appearing in court on Tuesday to face new charges of breach of bail and aggravated assault, said court official Xavier La Canna.
Voskresensky will appear in court on February 9, La Canna said.
Faust said he decided not to visit Voskresensky at the hospital after finding out that he had been wanted by the police.