15yearold

ANCHORAGE, Alaska: Bobbing for days atop a capsized skiff in Alaska’s frigid Bering Sea, a 15-year-old boy held on until he was rescued by a fishing vessel this week, the US Coast Guard said.

The boy’s brother and a cousin died sometime after the small boat flipped, according to the rescuers.

Their bodies were found after the teen was hoisted to safety near St. Lawrence Island — a remote Alaskan island that’s closer to Russia than it is to the United States.

The captain of the fishing boat, “The Northwest Explorer,” said the boy had clung to the skiff for close to three days. “That’s one tough kid,” Adam White told KTUU-TV in Anchorage.

Coast Guard planes and helicopters began searching for the skiff Monday morning after family members reported the three missing the night before. Authorities did not release the names of the three.

The group left St. Lawrence Island on Friday and planned to return early Sunday, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard said one of its air crews spotted the boy Monday morning and deployed a raft and supplies before contacting “The Northwest Explorer.”

Video of the rescue shows the boy in a bright yellow jacket kneeling atop the overturned skiff. The boat’s crew tosses the boy a line, tugging the skiff closer until they can pull him into a rescue basket.

The boy was experiencing symptoms of hypothermia when he got onto the boat, the Coast Guard said.

The fishing boat crew warmed him with blankets and hot packs, its captain said.

“Through the teeth chattering, he had mentioned that his brother was still under the skiff,” White said. “And then he said that, in the previous night, before our rescue, that his cousin had slipped away.”

THE 15-year-old son of former Real Housewives star Kim Zolciak and NFL player Kroy Biermann has been arrested for alleged sex crimes against a girl in a gym.

Kroy Biermann Jr. was taken into custody on August 17 in Alpharetta, Georgia, and was hit with felony charges of aggravated sodomy and aggravated sexual battery.

The teen is accused of leading a 15-year-old female acquaintance into a family changing room at a Life Time Fitness location before physically restraining her and forcing her to engage in sexual acts on April 23.

After the alleged attack, the girl went to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta where she was examined by a nurse and a sexual assault kit was taken.

The Alpharetta Police Department confirmed he has been charged as an adult.

His father Kroy Biermann played for the Atlanta Falcons while his mom Kim starred in the Real Housewives of Atlanta.

On Friday his mom, who starred in the show between 2008 and 2012 issued a statement to US Weekly regarding the accusations.

“The allegations being made against my son are nothing short of reckless and deeply troubling,” she said.

“He categorically denies ever being involved with this woman or engaging in the conduct she has alleged.”

“My son voluntarily took a polygraph examination regarding these allegations and passed.”

She claimed that no DNA belonging to her son was found on the alleged victim and highlighted that “false accusations can have devastating consequences” for both the accused and survivors of such crimes.

The teenager is next due to appear at Fulton County Superior Court on September 8 and remains in custody at the Metro Regional Youth Detention Center with no bond set.

Biermann Jr. is the eldest of four children Zolciak shares with former Atlanta Falcon Biermann.

The pair filed for divorce in August 2023 after 12 years of marriage.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.