“We heard this passing out like ‘ahhh, ahhhh’ – (I said) to me mate ‘does that man say help?’ So we got a little closer and said ‘I can see you’, ”Faust told 9News.
The pair then saw Luke Voskresensky, 40, who was naked and clinging to a tree. He had swollen feet, cuts all over his body and was covered in mud, 9News reported.
Voskresensky was wanted because he allegedly violated bail because of armed robbery. According to 9News, he detached himself from an ankle bracelet that had been monitoring his whereabouts days before.
The two men told 9News that Voskresensky had been living in the mangrove for four days. He begged them for water and told the couple that he “lived on snails.”
Voskrensky said he got stuck after getting lost on his way to a New Year’s Eve party, according to 9News.
Faust and Joiner told 9News that Voskresensky was happy to be rescued. They gave the fugitive a cold beer, and Faust lent the man his shorts.
The waterways around Darwin are known to be inhabited by crocodiles, and the East Point area is a breeding ground for the reptiles.
After reaching the coast, the two men called an ambulance, 9News reported. Voskresensky was arrested and is being treated for exposure at Royal Darwin Hospital.
“He’s in the hospital handcuffed and two officers are looking after him,” Faust told 9News.