MT. CLEMENS, Mich. (WXYZ) — It was a wild water rescue next door to the Mt. Clemens Fire Department. Two boys who noticed a man struggling in the waters of the Clinton River knew there was no time to spare.
“He stands up and just jumps in. That’s what it seemed like,” said hero Kaiden Stark.
He and a friend were walking along the Clinton River near Dickinson Street in downtown Mount Clemens when they both saw a middle-aged man stand up from a bench and jump in.
It was then that Stark and his friend Jeffrey Mayes raced over to help.
“(I) just started holding him and keeping him above water," Stark said. "Because if he fell under its kind of over.”
EXCLUSIVE: Heroic RESCUE along the Clinton River, near a fire station in Mt. Clemens. 2 boys SAVED a man from drowning w/ help from first responders. Tonight, the man saved is thanking those who STEPPED IN to help. He’s also expected to be ok. @wxyzdetroit #10PM #11PM pic.twitter.com/VdbP8rOfPZ
— Simon Shaykhet WXYZ (@simonshaykhet) December 24, 2019
Mayes adding, “There’s people across the river yelling to get police and we were just trying to hold him up till they got here.”
The 8 to10-foot water was cold at 2:30 p.m. Fortunately, first responders at a nearby station were on the way.
“We ran over and saw the two young men who were holding him up, and keeping the guy from going underneath,” Lt. Nick Candela said. “We were able to get in there, get him out and help him get to the hospital for medical treatment."
Candela said that the man mentioned that he had stumbled into the water.
"(It was) very emotional," Candela added. "(I'm) thankful for the two young men who helped him out.”
That unidentified man was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released. There's still no official word on why the man entered the water.
