Officer Jumps Into Icy Lake St. Clair, Rescues Distressed Pedestrian

GROSSE POINTE FARMS (WWJ) - Authorities say a man is recovering at the hospital after being rescued from the icy waters of Lake St. Clair.

The incident unfolded around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday off Lake Shore Road and Moran, where a walking path goes along the shoreline in Grosse Pointe Farms.

Circumstances on how the man ended up in the water weren't immediately clear, but police say a motorist called 911 after seeing the man fall into the water.

Officer Geoff McQueen was among the first to arrive at the scene -- and he knew there was no time to waste.

"I saw a person in the water. I tried to reach for him and he was too far out," McQueen told WWJ's Charlie Langton. "So I got into the water, grabbed him and pulled him up to the breakwall, and then held onto a piece of rebar while everyone else came to help me get him out of the water and then help me out."

And it was no easy rescue at that -- police say the man, in his 20s, weighs about 220 pounds.

The man was conscious but unable to speak when taken to the hospital. He was last reported in stable condition and is expected to survive.

McQueen, who has been on the force for 16 years, was also taken to the hospital in stable condition. He has since been released.

Some people are calling McQueen a hero, but the officer said he was just doing his job.

"We do what we have to do and that's all we do," he said. "We do what our duty calls us to do at any time, and that's what makes being a police officer or firefighter a special person, essentially."

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