Illinois boy trapped alone on runaway boat

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. _ Parents from northeast Illinois said Thursday they watched helplessly as their 4-year-old son was trapped alone on a runaway boat on Lake Michigan for nearly 45 minutes.

Duane Tonks of Lansing, Ill., said his son Dylan cried when he and his wife Donna fell overboard.

"My son was in the boat crying. He's wondering why we weren't in there," Tonks said.

The wake from a larger boat apparently tossed the Tonks overboard, where a passing boat rescued them, said Gary Marine Unit Patrolman Phillip Cook.

The bump knocked the boat's steering wheel to the right, causing it to go in circles near the East Chicago marina, Duane Tonks said. Meanwhile, momentum pinned Dylan in the corner Tuesday as the 17-foot fishing boat did erratic doughnuts at 20 to 25 mph.

"It was scary just for the fact that you're helpless," Duane Tonks said. At first, he tried to swim to the boat using a cooler lid for a float, but then realized he could not do anything if he reached the runaway vessel.

Police and Coast Guard officers tried throwing tow lines to stop the boat, but it eventually stopped after drifting near rocks that clipped the propeller and killed the motor, authorities said.

Tonks said his son knew how to remove the key from the ignition, but was unable to reach the dash.

While Donna Tonks suffered some bruising in her fall from the boat, the boy wasn't injured.

"My son, he's fine, he's just wondering why we didn't go fishing," Duane Tonks said.