Pregnant Mom Saves Girls From Drowning In Lake Michigan

MANISTEE, MI — Several things nearly convinced Alyssa DeWitt to stay home the afternoon of May 25.

Strong winds would’ve made swimming in Lake Michigan difficult. With three young children, 27-year-old Dewitt knew making the trip with them could be risky, she told Michigan Live. Her boyfriend agreed, urging her to stay home.

The warnings weren't in vain. Last year, 56 people drowned in Lake Michigan, a record for the largest of the Great Lakes, according to statistics kept by the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project. The number compares with 48 drownings in 2019 and 42 in 2018.

DeWitt, who’s also five months pregnant, sat in her driveway for five minutes, she said, debating on whether to make the trip. She ultimately decided to go.

And because she did — because she trusted her "mama bear instinct" — three young girls who were in danger of drowning are still alive today.

While she and her children were relaxing on the beach, DeWitt watched a group of girls playing in the water. At one point, she looked back to see a pair of arms flailing in the air.

“There was no hesitation," DeWitt told Michigan Live. "I jumped up, I did exactly what I needed to do. I knew if I waited, those kids probably weren’t going to live. So I just, I just jumped in and did it.”

DeWitt "immediately" got her kids out of the water and ran onto the pier, she said in a Facebook post shared last week. Three of the girls were caught in the strong waves and were being pulled further away from shore, she said.

"They could barely keep their heads above water," DeWitt wrote. "They were literally drowning in front of my eyes and there was not one person on that side of the beach I could scream to for help. It was empty."

DeWitt called 911, though it was too difficult to hear the dispatcher over the crashing waves. When she hung up, she knew it was up to her to pull the girls out of the lake and onto the pier.

"One of those girls looked at me with so much fear in her eyes and told me she was going to die," DeWitt said. "I promised her I would not let that happen. I promised her with everything I had in me."

It was then DeWitt said her "adrenaline kicked into high gear." She laid down on her stomach, holding onto the pier while she fought the powerful waves to pull each girl from the water. At times, the waves nearly swept DeWitt from the pier, but she was able to hang on, she wrote.

"I kept my promise," she wrote after she finally was able to pull each girl — three of whom were in danger of drowning and a fourth who was also in the water — onto the pier.

In a statement to Michigan Live, Manistee City Police Chief Josh Glass said the rescued girls were between 9 and 15 years old. He also called DeWitt's actions "absolutely unbelievable."

"You hope and you pray that there are more people out there like this young lady,” Glass told the publication. “That even when faced with danger and brutal elements, they will put their safety aside to save someone else."