A Manitowoc Police Officer was honored for his bravery for trying to save the 12-year-old boy who drowned in Lake Michigan in Two Rivers earlier this year.
Manitowoc Police Captain John Musial says Officer Andre St. Pierre was off that day but overheard many emergency sirens and quickly learned about the missing boy.
He took and stand-up jet ski to go to areas of Lake Michigan where police boats couldn’t make it to find the boy. When he found the child:
Musial described that “Ignoring dangerous riptides, four-foot waves, and strong winds he jumped into the water recovering the body and rushing to shore.” Officer St. Pierre continued to assist first responders continued to assist first responders with CPR and accompanied the boy to an ambulance and to the hospital where the boy was tragically pronounced dead.”
St. Pierre got his name on the Valor Award plaque and was thanked by those at Monday’s Manitowoc Common Council meeting with a round of applause. St. Pierre says the only way he would have accepted the award was if the people who helped were thanked too.
“Manitowoc County is very lucky for who they have for first responders,” he explains. “Whether it’s volunteer fire departments, Manitowoc Fire, Two Rivers Fire, Manitowoc City, and County Sheriffs. When something like this happens everybody puts together and works together to try to get the best results that they can.”
He was later sworn in as an official Manitowoc Police Officer along with new Officer Bethany Johnson following the award recognition.
