MONROE COUNTY, Mich. – A 14-year-old boy was rescued from cold water in Lake Monroe earlier this year.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources conservation officer Nick Ingersoll and Monroe Charter Township Fire Department Capt. Dave Nadeau received Lifesaving Awards from the DNR Law Enforcement Division after rescuing the boy on May 19.
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“On behalf of the department, I am proud to recognize CO Ingersoll and Capt. Nadeau for their quick assessment of the situation, which required them to risk their own safety to save another,” said Chief Dave Shaw, DNR Law Enforcement Division. “We are grateful for the teamwork with the Monroe Charter Township Fire Department, Michigan State Police and other responding agencies that turned this into a successful lifesaving effort.”
Ingersoll heard a dispatch call about a person yelling “help” at the Dunbar Quarry, a local name for a deep portion of Lake Monroe near East Dunbar Road and Hull Road in Monroe County.
Ingersoll met emergency responders from the Monroe Charter Township Fire Department and Michigan State Police trooper Mitchell Lehman at the scene. He said he watched as the boy appeared to lose strength and determined it was time to physically enter the cold water.
“Ingersoll did not hesitate. He put on his life jacket and jumped in to save the child,” Lehman said
Ingersoll put on his life jacket and jumped from the rock cliff, about 15 feet down into the water. Nadeau jumped seconds after Ingersoll safely emerged.
The two put the boy in a life jacket and pulled him over to a rock to keep him above water until a Monroe City Fire Department rescue boat could get there and transport them to the shore.
Ingersoll has been a conservation officer since 2016. Nadeau has been with the Monroe Charter Township Fire Department since 1993.
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