NEWPORT, Mich. – 
The search has ended for a 36-year-old man who went missing after jumping into Lake Erie to help his girlfriend's 8-year-old son.
Monroe County Sheriff Dale Malone said the Waterford man was with his girlfriend and her two young sons Wednesday evening in a boat off Estral Beach, which is near the mouth of Swan Creek and Lake Erie.
Malone said the 8-year-old boy was wearing a life jacket in the water, but began to drift away from the boat. The man jumped in to help bring him back, but began having trouble.
The boy was pulled out of the water by another witness, but the man went under.
The Monroe County Dive Team, the Monroe County Aviation Unit, the US Coast Guard, the Wayne County Underwater Search and Recovery Team along with fire departments from Berlin Township,Frenchtown Township and Estral Beach are all involved in the search. The Coast Guard says the water where the man went missing is 5 to 9 feet deep and very muddy.
The search went on for about four hours Wednesday night before being suspended until Thursday morning. The Wayne County Sheriff's Dive Team has joined in the search.
Back at the Swan Boat Club where the missing boater is a member, the club is preparing for one of their biggest boating events of the year, the Regatta, but they're thinking about their friend who hasn't been heard from in hours.
Estral Beach