Personal watercraft passenger rescued by boaters in Anchor Bay, deputies say

A passing boater rescued a man who fell off a personal watercraft Saturday in Anchor Bay, Michigan, which is part of Lake St. Clair. 

Marine deputies from the Macomb County Sheriff's Office caught up with the rescued passenger, a 20-year-old man from Macomb Township, and took him to shore. 

The sheriff's office said the marine deputies who were working on Patrol Boat 2 that day responded to an emergency call from the U.S. Coast Guard regarding a missing passenger from a personal watercraft in Anchor Bay. 

The watercraft operator, a 19-year-old man from Macomb Township, said he had launched with his passenger from Bradenburg Park in Chesterfield and traveled to Cabana Blue Lakefront Grill in Clay Township. But while returning to Bradenburg Park, they encountered rough water conditions and the passenger fell off. 

The watercraft operator did not realize at first that his passenger had fallen into the water and was unable to locate his rider when he searched. 

After deputies began their search, another pleasure boat approached the marine patrol. The operator of that boat said he had found the passenger floating about ¼ mile offshore, just north of Bradenburg Park.  

That boat pulled up beside the marine patrol, and the boaters helped the rescued passenger step into the marine patrol boat. 

Deputies took the man to Walter and Mary Burke Park in New Baltimore, where he was checked by medics and declined further medical treatment. 

Both men riding the watercraft were wearing personal flotation devices, a circumstance that deputies say "proved critical in ensuring a successful rescue."