MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP -- Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 3:31 p.m.
The search for the missing man who fell through the ice at Michigamme Reservoir has come to a tragic end.
The body of 65-year-old John Alan Brozak was recovered three miles north of Phalen's Landing Tuesday afternoon.
Brozak and a second man were fishing on the reservoir when they fell through the ice on Monday around 7:30 p.m. CST.
The second man, who was not identified by the Iron County Sheriff's Department, escaped the icy water and hiked four miles overnight for help.
Iron County Sheriff Mark Valesano said the unseasonably warm weather means dangerous ice conditions.
"Mr. Brozak was an avid fisherman. He knew the water he was fishing very well and knowing that he still lost his life because of the ice conditions," said Mark Valesano, Iron County Sheriff.
Funeral services for John Brozak will be on Friday at 10:00 a.m. CST at the Guardian Angels in Crystal Falls.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 10:04 p.m.
At approximately 4:45 p.m., the body of John Alan Brozak, a 65-year-old Crystal Falls resident was recovered under the ice near the area where his four-wheeler had broken through.
Around 9:00 a.m. this morning, the Iron County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call in Mansfield Township. The caller stated that a fisherman had walked to his home near site 14 on Way Dam Backwaters, and said that he and his fishing companion had gone through the ice on their ORV's the previous night at approximately 7:30 p.m. After attempting to assist his partner from the icy water, the fisherman made a long trek off of the ice to try and get help.
Deputies from the Iron County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene, arriving at approximately 9:30 a.m. It was learned that the two men had gone through the ice approximately three miles north of Phalen's Landing (Site 14) in the Corbett Lake area. A land and air search was immediately initiated and the Delta County Dive Team was also contacted to assist in the possible recovery of the missing fisherman.
The Iron County Sheriff's Office was assisted by Iron County Search and Rescue, the Delta County Search and Rescue Dive Team, officers from the Michigan D.N.R.E., Crystal Falls Fire Dept., North Star EMS, as well as several other local volunteers. Sheriff Valesano reminds citizens that due to the recent warm weather, the ice conditions are extremely dangerous and not safe for recreation.
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Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 7:34 p.m.
Police searched the air and ground today to see if the missing man may have escaped. However, those searches came up empty and police called in the Delta County Dive Team.
There is no update from the police on the results of its search.
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A dive team from the Delta County Sheriff's Department is searching for a fisherman who fell through the ice in the Michigamme Reservoir in Iron County Monday evening.
Officials say the missing man and another fisherman fell through the ice on the northern side of the reservoir at 7:30 pm CST Monday as they were driving their four-wheelers.
One of them managed to get out of the freezing water and then hiked about four miles in the dark to a residence where he finally called authorities to report his friend missing. That was at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, more than 12 hours after the accident.
It's not known what happened to the other man. The names of the two men have not yet been released, but they're both from Mansfield Township.
Along with the dive team, a plane from the DNRE is searching for the missing man by air.
The Iron County Sheriff's Department, along with the DNRE, is involved in the ground search for the man.
TV6's Aaron Martin is on the scene. We'll provide updates as we get them.
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