Local News

Mackinac Island firefighters rescue man stranded on cliffside

By Nick Lentz

Updated on: May 24, 2025 / 4:09 PM EDT / CBS Detroit

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A man is safe after firefighters on Mackinac Island rescued him when he got stuck on a cliffside, according to Fire Chief Jason St. Onge.

The chief said in a Facebook post Thursday that the man "went over a cliff" near Arch Rock. The Mackinac Fire Department conducted a technical line rescue to bring him back to the top.

Mackinac Island, Michigan, Arch Rock, a geologic formation on Mackinac Island is a natural limestone arch formed during the Nipissing post-glacial period. It stands on the Lake Huron shoreline 146 feet above the water. Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

"In my 35 years on the department, this is probably our 15th technical line rescue, maybe more," Onge said in the post.

According to the chief, he and First Deputy Chief Larry Rickley were on the mainland at the time of the incident and couldn't respond.