By: Nick Powers | C&G Newspapers | Published January 14, 2025
CLINTON TOWNSHIP — On New Year’s Eve, a driver sinking into an apartment complex retention pond was rescued by a team of Clinton Township police officers.
Sgt. Ryan Bates jumped in to save the driver. Bates downplayed any heroism at a Jan. 9 press conference at the Clinton Township Department, saying it was a team effort. Those involved in the rescue were from Platoon C, which Bates called “tight-knit.”
“It wasn’t just me. I couldn’t have done it without them,” Bates said. “I was just the one who got in the water the fastest.”
The driver was transported to the hospital after the incident, but the department did not have any further updates on his condition. The incident is currently under investigation. Bates said the vehicle was pulled out of the pond with the assistance of a diver afterward. The estimated depth of the pond is 10-12 feet.
Dispatchers received calls around 1:50 a.m. about the sinking SUV at The Harbours apartment complex on Bayview Avenue off of Hall Road.
Officer Celeste Smith first arrived on the scene and coordinated where the officers should go. The call came from a building near the south side of the U-shaped pond, according to Bates. Smith called out to the driver to climb out from a visibly open window, though the driver was not responding.
“I was asking him his name, if he was OK, how far the water was up and to let me know if it got any higher,” Smith said.
Bates said the vehicle was floating on the surface of the pond when he arrived.
“I noticed that the front end of the vehicle started going down,” he said. “At that point we didn’t have time to wait for the Fire Department or a boat to show up.”
The team sprang into action, each member playing their part. Bates attached the rescue rope to the life vest for the driver and started getting into the pond. Sgt. John Kuehn, officer Preston Ku and officer Gabrielle Mason got ready to pull the two in with a rescue rope.
“It was like a machine,” Bates said. “Everybody did their part. We didn’t have to talk about it, we didn’t have to discuss it. Everything fell into place. That’s what happens when you (have a) shift full of people that you trust.”
When Bates swam to the vehicle, he saw the driver through the sunroof trying to stay near the roof. Before the open driver’s side window was completely submerged, Bates reached in and pulled the driver through it.
“Initially he kind of resisted because he was trying to stay where it was safe in the air pocket,” Bates said. “I ended up having to pull him underwater out through the window.”
Bates then stabilized the driver and got a life jacket on him. He started attempting to swim to shore, calling out to his fellow officers to start pulling the rope.
“Had officer Kuehn, officer Mason and officer Ku not been on the rope, myself and the driver may have been down at the bottom of the pond,” Bates said.
Bates also credited Smith’s coordination in the rescue.
“Without officer Smith telling us to go around to the north side, we would’ve been too late to get there,” Bates said. “It was seconds that we had from getting him out of the car before it was completely underwater.”
Kuehn said that efforts by Sgt. Joshua Lundin put life vests and rescue ropes in each of the department’s squad cars.
“You don’t think you’ll need it, but you come to a time like this where this was crucial in what we were doing,” Kuehn said. “Thanks to him for equipping all of our vehicles with this.”
Bates said a few years ago a similar incident happened when the Clinton River overflowed. A driver was traveling down Millar Road when the vehicle was swept off. The vests and ropes were put in the vehicles after the incident.
According to the National Weather Service website, the low temperature on New Year’s Eve was 33 degrees. Bates said he never felt cold during or after his plunge into the pond, possibly chalking it up to adrenaline.
“I jumped in the shower and changed into dry clothes. I just never had that chill,” Bates said.
After all was said and done, Bates typed up the report and said he went “right back on the road.”
Smith said the incident was “...an interesting thing that happened during the day and then we moved on.”
Call Staff Writer Nick Powers at (586) 498-1059.