By Megan Decker
Staff Writer
ESSEXVILLE — According to reports, Allen Pero, 48, of Vassar died on Thursday after being pulled from the freezing waters of the Saginaw Bay.
According to a report from the U.S. Coast Guard Saginaw River Station, two men, who were later identified as Pero and Eric Molina, 24, were rescued from the Saginaw River after falling through the ice with their snowmobiles near the Consumers Power Plant early Thursday morning.
Just after 8 a.m., the watchstander at Coast Guard Station Saginaw River, in Essexville, received a report, from a good Samaritan, of a person through the ice at the mouth of the Saginaw River near the plant.
A Station Saginaw River crew responded aboard a 20-foot airboat and rescued the two men from the water. At the time, one was reported to be responsive while the other was reported as unresponsive. The men were reported to have been in the water for nearly two hours before they were picked up by the Coast Guard.
Both men were transferred to emergency medical services personnel and taken to McLaren Bay Region hospital in Bay City. Pero died at the hospital while Molina’s condition is unknown.
“Ice is very unpredictable in nature and it’s important that outdoor enthusiasts remember to prepare before heading out,” said Chief Petty Officer Gabriel Settel, the assistant command center chief at Coast Guard Sector Detroit. “Ice is especially unpredictable near power plants, water intakes and other structures where current and other factors significantly affect it.”
Coast Guard crews plan to assess the scene and monitor the situation for any potential pollution related to the snowmobiles.