Dad nearly drowns on trip with kids, but canoeist hears cries in MI, feds say

A father nearly drowned after tumbling into a Michigan river while on a trip with his kids, but a passing canoeist heard his cries for help and paddled to the rescue, officials say.

The dad was tubing with his daughters near Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday, July 5, and a simple accident nearly cost him his life, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a July 8 news release.

He was operating a boat on the St. Mary’s River, pulling a tube with his daughters inside, when he fell off the boat and into the water, the release said. The man and his children quickly became separated, and he called out for help as he struggled to keep his head above water.

An off-duty border patrol agent paddled over to him in a canoe, then put a life vest on the man, who was “too exhausted to do it himself,” CBP officials said.

The agent pulled him to shallow water, according to officials. However, his daughters were nowhere to be seen.

“The agent and the man then flagged down a passing boat to look for the missing girls,” officials said.

Officials say the man’s boat was later found crashed into a sea wall, but “the two children were found safe and reunited with their father.”

At some point after their dad slipped off the boat, the girls fell out of their tube and swam to shore, officials said.

“This heroic agent did not hesitate to take action, turning this potentially tragic event into a positive one,” said Detroit Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Javier Geronimo Jr. “Our agents are always on duty when it comes to public safety.”

Sault Ste. Marie is a roughly 290-mile drive northeast from Grand Rapids.

This story was originally published July 9, 2025 at 7:50 AM with the headline "Dad nearly drowns on trip with kids, but canoeist hears cries in MI, feds say."