4 brothers rescued an elderly Monroe County man trapped in freezing pond

RAISINVILLE TOWNSHIP, Mich. - Authorities in Monroe County say an elderly man was rescued from drowning after four brothers sprung into action Sunday afternoon.

The Monroe County Sheriff credited the actions of four brothers with saving the life of an 81-year-old man from the area

The informal rescue operation happened in Raisinville Township after Paul Motylinski was traveling down Custer Road when he noticed someone had fallen through the ice of a nearby pond. 

The individual appeared to be in distress and only his head and upper shoulders will visible.

Motylinksi phoned 9-1-1 before calling his four brothers who were at his mother's home a short distance away.

Together, Paul, Patrick, Benjamin, and Phillip responded immediately. As Paul kept in contact with the victim, his brothers retrieved a small boat from nearby to assist in extracting the victim from the water. 

As two of the rescuers used the boat to reach the victim, the other two used an attached line to pull the boat, the rescuers and the victim back to shore. 

Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough called the actions of the men "heroic" and credited them with saving the victim's life. 

Identified only as an 81-year-old man from Monroe, he was taken to ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital where he was listed in stable condition and is expected to make a full recovery.

Two of the brothers involved in the rescue operation, Paul and Benjamin, are members of the Dundee Township Fire Department.