The Coast Guard is asking for the public’s help to identify the source of multiple fake distress calls made over the weekend.
The calls were made from Friday to Sunday in the vicinity of Mount Desert Island and Great Cranberry Island in Southwest Harbor, according to the Coast Guard’s Northern New England Sector.
The calls claimed to be in distress, taking on water and abandoning ship. The Coast Guard believes all of the calls came from the same person and general location.
Despite dispatching multiple resources and conducting hours of active searching, the Coast Guard hasn’t been able to locate the source of the calls.
Knowingly transmitting false distress calls is a federal crime punishable with fines and or arrest.
Anyone with information about the caller is asked to contact the Coast Guard’s investigative service.
