Jet Skiers rescue mom, kids

MARBLEHEAD — A mother and her two young children are safe after being rescued from Lake Erie on Saturday by two men, each on a Jet Ski, after their sailboat flipped over. Jerry Jacobiak, of Toledo, posted on Facebook about the rescue, which he completed with Jackson Michalak and Michalak's son, Tucker. Fox 8 Cleveland reported that Michalak is Jacobiak's son-in-law. Jacobiak said that the three of them were traveling on their jet skis back to Marblehead after spending the day at Cedar Point beach and Kelleys Island when they noticed an overturned sailboat in the water. "I saw something orange floating in the water about 50 yards from the boat," Jacobiak said. Upon approaching the object, Jacobiak said that Michalak yelled to him that there was a woman in the water with a baby. "As I got close to the object, I could clearly see a young, terrified mother on her back with a child in each arm, trying to swim with only her feet," Jacobiak said. Jacobiak added that he slowly circled the mother and her two children to get closer without hitting them, and that by the third pass, he was able to grab the mother's hand and pull her towards the jet ski. "I reached down to grab the baby from her arm and placed it between my legs, then reached for the second child. After both children were safe, the young mother climbed aboard, and I slowly returned them to the safety of shore," Jacobiak said. Despite the heroic act, Jacobiak said that he doesn't believe he was the hero in this situation. "That young mother was the hero. She kept her babies alive by flipping them all on their backs, then keeping them afloat for who knows how long, by using only her legs and feet," Jacobiak said. "I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that our course back to shore was altered by a higher power so we could go to the rescue of this young mother and her children." The identity of the woman and children rescued was not clear. A number of people praised the rescuers' actions on Facebook: • Lydia Lopez: "I truly believe you were put there for that reason. What an incredible story of bravery and quick thinking. You both are amazing." • Bob Stacy: "Jerry, what you two did was truly amazing. So glad you were in the right spot at the right time. Proud to be able to call you my friend. Absolutely well done." • Randy Viera: "God is Good, and so are you, Jerry. This picture is worth framing, call it Angel on a Jet Ski."