Watch Mich. Police Officer Jump in River to Save Kayaker in Distress
What to know
- When Sterling Heights Police Officer Nikolas Bruno responded to a distress call at Riverland Park, he found a struggling kayaker, and without hesitation, he took off his gun belt and dove into the Clinton River.
- Bruno drew on his lifeguard training and Navy experience to navigate hazardous log dams and secure a life jacket on the kayaker before guiding her to shore.
- The rescued kayaker admitted to Bruno that she had been "barely holding on" before he saved her.
By Susan Smiley
Source The Macomb Daily, Mount Clemens, Mich.
Sterling Heights police officer Nikolas Bruno didn’t expect to use his lifeguarding skills last Saturday while he was on patrol.
But when he was called to Riverland Park at 2:30 p.m. in response to reports of a female kayaker in distress, Bruno didn’t hesitate to jump into the Clinton River to save a woman who was not wearing a life jacket and clinging to a log.
“As soon as I got out of the patrol car, I heard people screaming and yelling and realized she was in serious danger,” Bruno said. “She didn’t have a life jacket on and she is not a strong swimmer, so I took off my gun belt and jumped in.”
The woman had been kayaking with a group when she hit a downed tree that was hidden just below the water line. She capsized and went under her kayak, which then hit her in the head. She managed to get to a log and her daughter, who was kayaking with her, was able to swim to a sturdy log dam.
“I was a lifeguard since I was 15 years old and had a lot of water training in the Navy too, so I didn’t hesitate,” said Bruno. “I didn’t even really think about it because I knew she was in trouble.”
Bruno dove into the river, navigated over a dam of logs and once he reached the woman got her into a life jacket that a good Samaritan in the park offered. He then swam with her back to shore.
The woman’s daughter, who had also lost her kayak, was found safe on the log dam and later recovered by the Sterling Heights Fire Department.
“The daughter was able to self-rescue, but she was not having a good day out there,” Bruno said. “She was out there advocating for her mom.”
The rescued woman reported that she, her daughter, and her niece were kayaking for the first time when her kayak capsized after getting caught on a downed tree in the river. She told officer Bruno she was “barely holding on” when he rescued her.
“I think this is a good reminder to always wear your life jacket,” Bruno said. “Even if you think you don’t need it just put it on because you would surely rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it.”
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