FLORIDA
Court records: Man who helped rescue Bradenton girl from shark attack detained by ICE

Luis Alvarez was one of several men who rushed into the water to help free the 9-year-old girl's hand from the shark.

Author: Alexa Herrera
Published: 3:18 PM EDT July 1, 2025
Updated: 4:03 PM EDT July 1, 2025

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. — A man who dived into the water to help rescue a little girl who was attacked by a shark in southwest Florida is now being held by immigration officials, according to court records.

Luis Alvarez, 31, was pulled over at 1:49 a.m. on June 14 in Collier County for reportedly driving a gray SUV with a Rhode Island license plate without headlights. When the officer asked for his driver's license, Alvarez pulled up a picture of his U.S. employment authorization card, according to county court records.

Alvarez, who is originally from Nicaragua, reportedly told the officer he was driving without a license. He said he had been in the country for 2.5 years without a driver's license, according to a jail booking report.

He was arrested, charged with not having a driver's license and is on hold for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to county court records.
Multiple news outlets, including the CBS affiliate WINK in southwest Florida and USA Today, reported that Alvarez is the same man who helped rescue a 9-year-old Bradenton girl who nearly lost her hand to a shark off Boca Grande just days before his arrest.

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