Boater Who Went Overboard Found Alive In Macomb County

MACOMB COUNTY, MI - A boater who fell overboard in Lake Saint Clair has been found alive, according to reports. The 43-year-old man reportedly fell in after 8 p.m. Monday just 2.5 miles out of the Clinton River.

According to police, a female friend of the man said that he had invited her out on the boat to go drinking and the two spent most of the day on the lake. They had reportedly stopped at a restaurant to eat and after leaving the restaurant, the woman requested the man take her back to shore.

She told police she believed the man became upset because he then left the captain’s seat while the boat was moving and jumped into the lake.

She then contacted 911 and stated that the man had jumped overboard. She was unable to get the boat stopped and was unfamiliar with Lake St. Clair, police said. Macomb County Marine deputies located the 40’ boat and were able to jump aboard and safely bring the boat to a stop. Both the woman and the boat were taken to shore.

The Macomb County Marine Division and the Macomb County Dive Team began to search for the man and at around 1 am, a Marine Deputy was approached by a man in a boat who told them he was the man they were looking for.

He told police he had fallen overboard and swam to Strawberry Island. Being unable to locate anyone while on the Island, he commandeered a boat from the Island and drove to the emergency boats on the water. He was transported to a local hospital for evaluation.

The Macomb County Sheriff’s Office has completed this investigation and will not be seeking any criminal charges.