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Published on January 15, 2026
Officers with the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety responded to a technical rescue Wednesday morning after a fisherman fell through thin ice on a local lake.
At approximately 11:39 a.m. on Jan. 14, KDPS officers were dispatched to the 3700 block of Greenleaf Circle for a report of a man in the water. Officers arrived to find a 63-year-old male approximately 100 yards offshore, submerged up to his shoulders in icy water and holding himself up on unstable ice.
Due to unsafe ice conditions, officers were initially unable to reach the man without specialized equipment. Members of KDPS Squad 6 arrived and donned cold-water rescue gear to safely enter the lake.
EO Tech Aaron DeWaal made contact with the fisherman in the freezing water and secured a life preserver around him. Sgt. Melinda Moore maintained communication with the fisherman from shore throughout the rescue. Officers on shore then assisted in pulling both the fisherman and DeWaal back to land.
Once safely on shore, officers placed the fisherman onto a rescue stretcher and carried him to a waiting ambulance. He was transported to a local area hospital for further treatment. The fisherman is expected to make a full recovery.
Following the incident, DeWaal stopped by the hospital to check on the fisherman, who expressed deep gratitude for the rescue efforts.
KDPS reminds residents that ice conditions can change rapidly with fluctuating temperatures and urges extreme caution when venturing onto frozen lakes.
By authority of: Public Information Officer Zach Hamelton