Six rescued from PM River. 

Six rescued from PM River. 

CUSTER TOWNSHIP — Six people were rescued by first responders from the Pere Marquette River Saturday, July 23, 2022, during a thunderstorm. 

Emergency personnel were dispatched to Indian Bridge at 9:47 p.m. for, what was initially reported as five people, in the river about 1.5 miles east of that location. Apparently the victims, who were in kayaks and a canoe, were stuck on a log jam in the river. 

According to a release from the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, emergency personnel proceeded in boats up the river and then had to wade through waist deep water in order to reach the six victims. 

Assisting in the water were Mason County Sheriff’s Sgt. Adam Lamb, MCSO Marine Dep. Mark Willis, MCSO Marine Dep. Jake Lesinski, Michigan State Police Trooper Matt Demny, Riverton Fire Dept. Capt. Todd VanNortwick and “Good Samaritan” Jeff Englert. 

The victims were stuck in waste deep water and were reported to have been exhausted. One of the victims was starting to have medical issues. 

The victims were transported back to Indian Bridge by 2 a.m. Sunday, July 24. All the victims were treated and released on the scene. 

Please consider helping to fund local news. Mason County Press and Oceana County Press are available for free thanks to the generous support of our advertisers and individuals. Three ways to help us: Venmo: @MasonCountyPress; Paypal: MasonCountyPress@gmail.com; Mail a check to PO BOX 21, Scottville, MI 49454. 

This story is copyrighted © 2022, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.

As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.