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The U.S. Coast Guard successfully rescued a 55-year-old snowmobiler who found himself trapped on precarious ice near Mackinac Island, Michigan, this past Sunday. The man became disoriented in blizzard-like whiteout conditions, officials reported.
Authorities discovered the individual approximately a mile west of Sunset Rock. This was after they received a distress signal which sparked a coordinated response involving local emergency responders and Coast Guard teams.
Chief Jason St. Onge of the Mackinac Island Fire Department revealed that the man had previously been advised against attempting to traverse the icy surface of Lake Huron, but he chose to proceed regardless.
Rescue teams described the environment as hazardous, with deep snow drifts, jagged ice, and severely restricted visibility, all of which hampered their efforts to reach the stranded snowmobiler.
A snowmobiler found themselves stranded on a drifting ice floe in Lake Huron near Mackinac Island, Michigan, on Sunday, March 15, 2026. (Photo by Lt. William Erekson/U.S. Coast Guard)
“The victim was advised if he could follow his GPS to start making his way toward the advancing firefighters. Unfortunately soon after the man advised he was moving, he had run into open water and could not go any further,” St. Onge said in a Facebook post.
A Coast Guard icebreaker, Cutter Mackinaw (WLBB-30), was diverted to the scene and ultimately spotted the man before deploying a rescue team onto the ice.
The man and his snowmobile were brought aboard the vessel, where he received medical care and was reported to be in stable condition.
A U.S. Coast Guard member assigned to Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw (WLBB 30) assists in hoisting a snowmobile from ice near Mackinac Island, Michigan, on March 15, 2026. (Lt. William Erekson/U.S. Coast Guard)
Video of the rescue shows the Cutter Mackinaw’s crane hoisting the snowmobile off a drifting piece of ice as the slab steadily shrinks beneath it before the vehicle is lifted safely onto the vessel.
“Today’s response was a phenomenal team effort in saving a person in distress,” said Lt. William Erekson, assistant operations officer aboard the Mackinaw. “All hands played a pivotal role, to include a challenging ice rescue deployment in harsh weather, seamless ship-wide execution, and superb coordination with Coast Guard Sector Northern Great Lakes; this case is a powerful reminder that when lives are on the line, the Coast Guard stands ready to respond.”
U.S. Coast Guard ice rescue team members assist an individual to safety during a rescue near Mackinac Island, Michigan, on March 15, 2026. (Lt. William Erekson/U.S. Coast Guard)
MIFD Chief St. Onge said it took firefighters almost 40 minutes to walk 2,000 feet back to shore due to the extreme conditions.
“The ice is no joke, not an inland lake or a mill pond, conditions can and do change by the minute,” he wrote on social media. “Not one entity endorses the ice nor is anyone in charge of its safety or security. Each and every trip is CROSS AT YOUR OWN RISK. In this particular case it was cross at the First Responders risk.”