PORTAGE, Ind. — Authorities say a Gary man has been rescued after multiple agencies searched Lake Michigan.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources issued a news release Sunday, saying a 24-year-old man left the Portage Marina on a personal watercraft to go riding on Lake Michigan around 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 13.
When Jerimiah Merritt, 24, of Gary, didn't return home, his family found his vehicle and called 911.
His disappearance sparked a search that was a joint effort with multiple agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard. Indiana Conservation Officers and Portage police searched the lakefront.
Around 1:45 a.m. Saturday morning, a USCG helicopter spotted Merritt approximately 5 miles offshore from Portage Lakefront Park.
The man reportedly had a mechanical issue with his personal watercraft.
