PARK TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A man who died after driving into Lake Macatawa with two children in Ottawa County has been identified.
Officials believe 52-year-old Jon Paul Dowler drove into the lake, which is near Jenison Avenue and Lakeway Drive in Park Township, around 2 a.m. Sunday morning.
Dowler's Nissan Rogue had been traveling North on Jenison Avenue, which ends directly into the waters of Lake Macatawa.
“We don’t believe there was any foul play. At this time, we have determined it was an accidental," Lt. Eric Westveer, with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, told FOX 17 Monday afternoon.
The two girls, who were in the vehicle at the time, were able to escape.
“They’re very lucky to be alive,” Lt. Westveer said.
“It took a lot of stamina and tenacity on their part.”
The Ottawa County Sheriff's Office said the children, ages 8 and 10, managed to open the back hatch and make it to shore, where they sheltered for the night.
"Looking at it, there’s not a handle or anything that opens that back hatch," Lt. Westveer explained Monday.,
"So, we're still trying to figure out how the hatch opened... did the father assist in that? That’s stuff we don’t know yet."
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They believe the girls were in the water for just under five minutes before making it to shore.
Temperatures hovered around 30 degrees throughout the night.
The girls went up to several homes in the area, trying to find someone at home and awake, even going up to a nearby yacht club.
When they were unable to alert someone, they took cover.
"After having no luck at some of the cottages, they ended up finding an enclosed porch where they spent the night," Lt. Westveer explained.
The girls braved the elements for about seven hours before going up to the home of Kevin Macleod.
He and his wife quickly answered the door.
"I came out and there's this little girl standing about where I am now, with one shoe on and barefoot,” Macleod told FOX 17 Sunday.
After calling 911, crews quickly picked up the girls and began looking for their father's SUV in the water.
Crews were working on Lake Macatawa for nearly 7 hours, finally extricating the car around 2 p.m.
“That is still under investigation, where exactly they came from... so, we're working through some of those details with family members, cell phone records, and last known contacts they had,” said Lt. Westveer.
The two girls were checked out at an Ottawa County hospital after the accident, with no serious physical injuries being found.
They are now recovering with family at home in Otsego.
Investigators with the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office continue looking into the circumstances that lead up to the incident.
