Jon Paul Dowler, 52, of Otsego, died Sunday, Jan. 22 after accidentally driving into the Holland-area lake, police said. https://t.co/vmwRZkuVMQ
— MLive.com News (@michigannews) January 25, 2023
The two children found shelter from the cold and were able to find help the following morning. Police told The Holland Sentinel that the girls were able to get out through the back of the car as it sank into the water.
"They stated the back hatch opened and they were able to crawl out of that and then they swam to shore," Ottawa County Sheriff's Office Lt. Eric Westveer told the paper.
Jon Paul Dowler, 52, of Otsego, died Sunday, Jan. 22, when he accidentally drove into Lake Macatawa but his girls escaped through the hatchback, Ottawa County sheriff's deputies said. https://t.co/6k59YLEDbh
— MLive (@MLive) January 23, 2023
Police also noted that it appeared Dowler was trying to break his window open.
"At this point we are still looking into the hatch opening, however all indications point to the father opening it," Westveer told People.
According to People, the girls were “treated for cold exposure” at a local hospital but have since been released.
JUST IN: The man who died after driving into Lake Macatawa with two children in Ottawa County has been identified as 52-year-old Jon Paul Dowler. https://t.co/mcWdx8pd3v
— FOX 17 (@FOX17) January 23, 2023
The investigation into the incident is ongoing; however, police believe it was an accident.
"At this point, we believe that the father became disoriented, not familiar with the area, which ended up (with) him ending up in the water just because of the way that road is constructed there," Westveer told the The Holland Sentinel.
Dad Likely Popped Hatch as Car Sank into Mich. Lake, Saving His 2 Young Girls Before He Died: Cops https://t.co/bbqijahwg9
— People (@people) January 25, 2023
"At the end of the road where the pavement ends, there's about a 20-foot stretch before the water that's kind of sand and gravel," he added. "We did not locate any tire marks in that area, so that tells us that at that point, he was airborne before going into the water."
"It appears to be a pure accident," police told MLive on another occasion.
Jon (my cousin) was a total girl Dad. He adored those girls and his wife. There's a GoFundMe if anyone would like to help. https://t.co/yHziQm6WRm Likely Popped Hatch as Car Sank into Mich. Lake, Saving His 2 Young Girls Before He Died: Cops https://t.co/DE2Hv2Qqk2 via @people
— OneStepAtATime (@nc_carol) January 26, 2023
The girls told police that they were on their way home from visiting a friend. They said they were asleep until they were woken up by the crash.
"They (said) they kind of fell asleep and they (woke up) to the sound of the crash and then hitting the water," Westveer told The Holland Sentinel.
Dad likely popped back hatch to free daughters as car sank in Michigan lake: police https://t.co/vdCpCNJ2L9
— Johnny Driscoll (@johnnydriscoll) January 24, 2023
After the girls made it to shore, they tried to find help nearby but couldn’t find anyone around right away.
"They did try and knock on some doors but there were no answers because those were summer cottages and there's nobody in residence at the time," police said told news station WZZM.
Jon Paul Dowler, 52, of Otsego, died Sunday, Jan. 22, when he accidentally drove into Lake Macatawa but his girls escaped through the hatchback, Ottawa County sheriff's deputies said. https://t.co/Db0UZGKsVz
— The Patriot-News (@PatriotNews) January 24, 2023
The Sentinel reported that the pair were able to find an enclosed porch to spend the night in.
"One of the comments they made to the officer that actually talked to them … they told him that on a TV show, they learned that if you huddle together, you can use each other's body heat to stay warm," Westveer said told WZZM. "They were soaking wet and it was 30 degrees out."
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