Florida captains mistaken for Brock Horner get threats, hate for boat rage video
- Captain Brock Horner was arrested and charged with battery after a video of him accosting another boater went viral.
- Horner boarded the victim's boat without permission after accusing him of cutting him off days earlier.
- Other Florida charter captains have been wrongly identified as the aggressor and subjected to online harassment.
Captain Brock Wagner of Chokoloskee has been caught in the crossfire of threats and hate comments online after being mistakenly confused for Brock Horner, the attacker in a recently viral 'boat rage' video.
On April 1, Horner, a Florida charter boat captain, cursed at another boater before jumping onto his boat. The altercation, resulting in Horner's arrest and a subsequent felony burglary with assault or battery charge, went viral on social media.
"There is a negative viral video about a Captain Brock with an aqua boat out of Punta Gorda. This is NOT ME," the statement on Wagner's official website reads. "I have the unfortunate luck of sharing the same first name and I have the same color boat. I am Captain Brock Wagner and fish in the Everglades and not the one in the video. I am a hard working family man and this is affecting my business and family. Unfortunately, we are also getting threats. Please help us to spread the word!"
However, it's not just Wagner. A former charter captain in North Palm Beach also caught some flak after being mistaken for Horner, WPBF reported.
According to WPBF, Jack Porcelli used to run Captain Jack’s Charter Fishing before switching over to real estate. He told the outlet that he received angry phone calls and negative reviews online convinced he was Captain Brock Horner.
Horner, 40, was released from the Charlotte County Jail Saturday morning on $20,000 bond, Punta Gorda Police Chief Pam Smith said in a press conference Saturday morning.
Smith said there was nothing stopping Horner from returning to the water, but the United States Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are conducting their own investigations alongside PGPD, which could result in additional charges and the loss of Horner's captain's license.
“This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our waterways or anywhere else in our city,” Smith said. “We are committed to ensuring the safety of our residents and visitors, both on land and on the water.”
Horner apologized last week in a statement issued by his attorney, Scott Weinberg. "First and foremost, Brock sincerely apologizes to Gage, to Gage’s family, and to anyone who was frightened or upset by what they saw. He is deeply sorry. What began as a moment of frustration and concern escalated in a way it simply should not have.
"Gage handled the situation with impressive composure and class, and that level-headedness helped prevent things from becoming far worse," Weinberg said, and added that Brock's business and reputation have been destroyed and his family harassed.
The victim, Gage Towles, 22, an avid fisherman, posted on Facebook Saturday that he "won't be fishing for a little bit" and directed people to his YouTube page, "Sick for Fishing," for further updates.
Here's what we know.
What did Captain Brock Horner do?
The incident actually began at about 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 30, according to Smith, when Horner reportedly drove under the Barron Collier Bridge in Punta Gorda at "a high rate of speed," coming within 10 feet of Gage Towles' boat and within 5 feet of another boat in the same area. All three boaters exchanged words at the time, Smith said.
Two days later, at 7:30 p.m., Towles was fishing alone in the same area when Horner, owner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters, pulled his boat nearby with four other men aboard and began berating and cursing at Towles. Towles captured the encounter on video, which he later uploaded online under the title "Charter captain jumps on my boat and tries to fight me for no reason."
In the video, Horner accused Towles of cursing at him during the previous encounter and not having his lights on in the early morning. Towles denied both things and repeatedly attempted to calm Horner down as the older man continued to scream at him. At one point, Towles said calmly that Horner had him confused with someone else but that Horner couldn't come "flying through the bridge area," which seemingly infuriated Horner even more.
Towles also thanked the men for their service after Horner informed him they were all veterans.
"If you have seen the video, you'll see that the victim tries to disengage," Smith said. "He doesn't want anything to do with the confrontation. At some point saying, 'Please bro, I don't want anything to do with this.' But Mr. Horner continues to be aggressive and eventually pulls up to the victim's vessel."
As Horner's boat moved closer, he yelled at Towles, saying he was the "best charter captain you will ever meet in your (expletive) life," a line that has now gone viral on social media. And then he escalated.
Brock Horner jumps onboard and takes over Towles' boat
When Horner's boat got close enough, he jumped from one to the other and hit the throttle, sending Towles' boat racing off with both men in it. Smith said that Horner grabbed Towles by the shirt and that the younger man was so afraid for his life that he considered jumping off the boat.
"Chill bro, chill bro please!" he yelled repeatedly, as he quickly moved as far as he could away from Horner in the small craft, followed by "I'm a kid bro, I'm a kid."
"During the unauthorized entry, Horner reportedly threatened the victim, escalating the situation into a criminal offense," the agencies said in their press release.
Horner continued yelling and telling him to apologize — which Towles did, repeatedly and a bit frantically — until Horner let him take the wheel and head back to Horner's boat.
"Do it (expletive) again, and watch what happens," he said.
Throughout the encounter, the other four men on Horner's boat remained stone-faced, with one man facing away during the entire incident.
Boat rage video goes viral
Since the video was posted on Facebook it has been watched more than 15 million times as of Monday morning, with over 72,000 comments. Towles also posted it on YouTube Thursday, where it's gotten more than half a million views.
"I never wanted to post this video in the first place because it made me feel so weak," Towles wrote in the description.
"But I was already having a horrible day and this iced the cake. I look at it now like I possibly can save another person from Brock Horner or possibly someone’s life by getting this captain off the water."
Parody accounts have been created for Horner and internet sleuths are digging into his background. Other captains have come forward to condemn Horbner for his actions. The Fisherman's Village in Punta Gorda announced it has severed ties with him, and Pathfinder Boats, makers of the craft Horner uses, distanced themselves from him, saying his actions did not reflect their values. Another Florida boat captain with a similar name, Captain Brock Wagner, was briefly caught in the internet crossfire.
The North Port Fire Rescue Fire Chief Scott Titus, responding to reports that one of their firefighters was aboard Horner's boat, said Friday morning that Firefighter Johnny Riggs would be addressed appropriately after an investigation.
Who is Brock Horner?
Captain Brock Horner is the owner of Tarpon Coast Fishing Charters in Punta Gorda. According to an archived copy of his company's website, now offline, he was born in Port Charlotte and is a 6th-generation Florida native and a saltwater fishing tournament champion, with over 25 years of experience in fishing. Brock pilots a 2024 27′ 2700 Pathfinder Hybrid.
Brock's page said he is a Florida Gulf Coast University graduate and was a U.S. Army Ranger Veteran (Paratrooper) in Iraq certified in CPR, AED and Pediatrics.
"Brock is a decorated combat veteran who was severely injured in Afghanistan," Weinberg said. "He served honorably, earned multiple medals, and suffered a traumatic brain injury in combat. He is recognized as 100% disabled by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
"That’s not an excuse — but it is part of his story. He stood up when this country asked him to, and that service deserves to be respected."
Where is Punta Gorda, Florida?
Punta Gorda is the county seat of Charlotte County on the west coast of the state, on the south bank of the Peace Riover and the eastern shore of Charlotte Harbor, an arm of the Gulf of America (until recently the Gulf of Mexico). It's about 24 miles northwest of Fort Myers and 52 miles southeast of Sarasota.