State Troopers Rescue Man with Autism After He Leaves Group Home, Ends Up Struggling in Icy Pond

By Amanda Thomason March 17, 2022 at 2:07pm

On Wednesday night, a 30-year-old man with autism walked away from a group home in Groveland Township, Michigan, where he was a resident.

Around 11:30 p.m., someone at the home in suburban Detroit realized what had happened and called authorities, according to The Detroit News.

Reinforcements were quickly brought in, and state troopers, a K-9 unit and a helicopter were soon on the case.

It was dark and cold, and for two hours the group continued searching. Then a tip came in: Someone called to say a man had fallen through the ice of a frozen pond in Oakland County.

The location was about 4.5 miles from the group home, and as authorities approached, they could hear someone calling for help.

They asked the man to keep yelling, as he was stuck chest-deep in the icy water in total darkness.

“I’m coming for you buddy, come on!” one trooper shouted, as heard on the resulting bodycam video. “Keep yelling for me! Are you above the water? Can you come to my voice?”

This tweet thread contains body cam video of the ice rescue from last night. It is not the whole video and some is blurry, but should give our followers an idea of what occurred. Warning: Some of it is intense. Great job troops. pic.twitter.com/iNORgPQazV

— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) March 17, 2022

A trooper quickly went out and crashed through the ice. He continued to plunge forward, breaking the ice with his fists to clear a path.

A second trooper also went out on the ice but managed to keep from falling in.

Together, the two were able to retrieve the man, who by that time was suffering from hypothermia.

Part Two: pic.twitter.com/h36Jbk2mwW

— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) March 17, 2022

After he was brought to solid ground again, the man was taken to Ascension Genesys Hospital in Grand Blanc Township, according to WJRT-TV. He was treated and is expected to make a full recovery. He was confirmed to be the man missing from the group home.

Thankfully, neither trooper was injured in the rescue.

Part Three: pic.twitter.com/hpvJA1ns0l

— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) March 17, 2022

Though the videos are dark, as the rescue was performed at night, it still communicates the sense of urgency the troopers had and a taste of the challenge they faced with the frigid nighttime rescue.

“This tweet thread contains body cam video of the ice rescue from last night,” MSP Metro Detroit tweeted on Thursday.

Part Four: A reminder that the man that fell into the water is expected to be ok. Also the two troops involved are also ok! pic.twitter.com/WxRjNzdMVz

— MSP Metro Detroit (@mspmetrodet) March 17, 2022

“It is not the whole video and some is blurry, but should give our followers an idea of what occurred. Warning: Some of it is intense. Great job troops.”

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