Good Samaritan rescues missing wave runner passenger on Lake St. Clair
Jet ski passenger rescued on Anchor Bay
A 19-year-old man and his 20-year-old passenger, both from Macomb Township, had left Brandenburg Park in Chesterfield Township on a wave runner to head to Cabana Blue Lakefront Grill in Clay Township, a couple of miles away across Anchor Bay. However, on the way back, the passenger fell off in the rough waves. The driver didn't realize it, and the Macomb County Marine Division started searching.
ANCHOR BAY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A wave runner on rough led to the search for a missing passenger in Metro Detroit.
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Lake St. Clair is a large body of water, and the weather can change quickly with very little notice. A small craft advisory had been issued on the night the incident occurred.
It happened around 8 p.m. on June 13. A 19-year-old man and his 20-year-old passenger, both from Macomb Township, had left Brandenburg Park in Chesterfield Township on a wave runner to head to Cabana Blue Lakefront Grill in Clay Township, a couple of miles away across Anchor Bay.
However, on the way back, the passenger fell off in the rough waves. The driver didn't realize it, and the Macomb County Marine Division started searching.
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The search was comparable to looking for a needle in a haystack, but it wasn't long before everyone got some good news.
"Luckily the passenger was located by what we would call a Good Samaritan, and he was on another boat," said Lt. Gary Wiegand. "He was in the water for a pretty good amount of time. On that day, the water temperature was right around 65 degrees."
A life jacket is what definitely saved him.
Michigan law requires anyone on a personal watercraft to wear a life jacket, but Wiegand says it's important to wear one that's bright yellow or bright orange so you're easier to see if you end up in the water.
As for that passenger, he was okay. Thankfully, that Good Samaritan spotted him.