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Grosse Pointe teen honored with dual proclamations for heroic Lake St. Clair rescue

John Agnello has been recognized and acknowledged over the last month

ST. CLAIR SHORES, Mich. – John Agnello, the 15-year-old who helped rescue a woman whose car crashed into Lake St. Clair last month, was honored at a ceremony Monday night.

Agnello was given two proclamations, one from St. Clair Shores and another from the state.

His mom, Beth Agnello, was in the audience.

“It was chilling, and tears came to my eyes,” said Beth.

John saved the woman on July 23 morning at Lake Front Park in St. Clair Shores near 9 Mile Road.

He and another bystander jumped in the water and swam out to the car to help the woman escape.

Over the past month, Agnello has been recognized and acknowledged for his actions.

At one point during the rescue, the woman said she had other people in the car with her, causing John to swim back to the vehicle, where he confirmed that no one else was in it.

Because of his bravery, a Metro Detroit restaurant hosted him for a heroes dinner, and recently, he attended a Detroit Lions practice where Amon-Ra St. Brown, whose jersey he was wearing during the incident, signed a jersey for him.

“Now, with the city and state proclamation something that’ll last a lifetime, it doesn’t quite come to an end,” Beth said.

Initial report of rescue can be seen below


About the Author
Pamela Osborne headshot

Pamela Osborne is thrilled to be back home at the station she grew up watching! You can watch her on Local 4 News Sundays and weeknights. Pamela joined the WDIV News Team in February 2022, after working at stations in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

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