OAK CREEK, Wis. — A woman was rescued from the waters of Lake Michigan Sunday evening near Bender Park in Oak Creek after a jet ski rider and emergency crews rushed to help during dangerous conditions.
According to the Oak Creek Fire Department, dispatchers received a report of a swimmer in distress at about 7:35 p.m. at Bender Park along East Ryan Road.
Before firefighters arrived, a man on a jet ski was able to get a personal flotation device to the woman in the water.
Scanner traffic from the incident indicated the swimmer was about 20 feet from the rocks as crews responded to what was initially dispatched as a possible drowning.
Tony Mansour said he and his friends were preparing to leave the beach after spending the day grilling and jet skiing when someone ran over yelling that a woman was drowning.
“We started at two, and then I kept jet skiing until like five,” Mansour said. “Packed up everything … and we just stayed, you know, playing, having fun.”
Hear more about Mansour's heroic actions in the video player below.
Mansour said he immediately got back on his jet ski and headed toward the woman through rough waves. He said he drove too far the first time but then doubled back and was able to locate her near the rocks. He estimated the waves were five to seven feet high at that point, making the rescue tricky.
“Her eyes were closed, kind of like she gave up,” Mansour said. “Then I yelled, she opened her eyes wide open, like, ‘Oh, someone is here.’ And then I threw the object, she held on.”
Murad Karim, who witnessed the rescue from shore, said conditions on the lake were dangerous.
“She was out of energy completely,” Karim said. “He actually was the reason she got to the flotation device because she couldn’t swim to it.”
A rescue swimmer later entered the water and brought the woman safely back to shore. The fire department said the woman was conscious and alert before being transported to a hospital for further evaluation.
Assistant Fire Chief Scott Kasten said the rescue is another reminder about the dangers of Lake Michigan.
“It is very important to be mindful of the water conditions, respect Lake Michigan, and know your own swimming ability,” Kasten said.
Bender Park has been the site of multiple water rescues in recent years, including a deadly rip current incident involving children in 2024.
Witnesses said they hope Sunday’s rescue encourages people to take changing lake conditions seriously before entering the water.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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