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Woman calls 911 to report man jumped overboard, left her on boat she couldn't stop

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Posted at 2:26 PM, Jul 09, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-09 14:26:47-04

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — A man who either jumped or fell overboard was found safe by the Macomb County Sheriff's Department's Marine Division very early Tuesday morning.

Police were notified about the missing man around 8:10 p.m. Monday by a woman who had spent the day on the boat with him. She called 911 to report that after a day on Lake St. Clair and dinner at a restaurant, she requested the man take her back to shore. The woman told police she believed the man became upset, left the captain's chair and jumped into the lake while the boat was still moving.

The woman told police she was unable to stop the boat and was unfamiliar with Lake St. Clair.

Deputies were able to then locate the 40' boat and jump aboard. At that point they were able to stop the boat and then take the woman and boat to shore.

The Marine Division and Dive Team then began to search for the man about 2.5 miles from the Clinton River.

While still searching at around 1:00 a.m., they were approached by a man in a boat who said he was the man they were looking for. The 43-year-old from Saint Clair Shores told police he had fallen overboard and swam to Strawberry Island.

The man said he was unable to locate anyone on the island, so he commandeered a boat and headed toward the emergency craft in the water.

He was taken to the shore and medically cleared by EMS, before being transported to the hospital for evaluation.

The Sheriff's Office says they are not seeking charges in the case.