Dramatic new footage captures the rescue of a family of three who spent three days stranded in the Michigan wilderness after becoming lost during a tubing trip on a river.
The video shows crews from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, along with a Michigan State Police K-9 unit, finding Jazman Hock, her cousin Sarah Vida and Vida’s 9-year-old son, Kayden Kovalcik, on Aug. 8 after the group became stranded while tubing on the Muskegon River.
In the footage, troopers and natural resources officers can be seen closing in on the missing trio as one rescuer urges them to help guide search teams in: “Make some noise… Yell!”
Searchers pushed through dense grass and wooded terrain, calling out repeatedly until they finally reached the family.
Michigan’s Muskegon River, where Jazmin Hock and her family were water tubing before their crafts broke apart, stranding them in the nearby woods for three days. (Aleshia Wood/iStock)
One of the women appeared scratched up and was still wearing a bathing suit, while Kovalcik was found shirtless. The group had been tubing on the Muskegon River when their rafts — designed only for pool use — came apart, leaving them stranded in the surrounding woods, Jazman’s mother, Teresa Hock, told WWMT.
As rescuers reached them, the family began explaining how the outing had turned into a days-long ordeal.
“We got lost on the river,” Kovalcik, who was shirtless, told the rescue team.
“We went to the river and we were on the river for four hours,” he continued.
Michigan State Police rescue 9-year-old Kayden Kovalcik along with his mom and aunt after the trio were stranded for three days. (Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
The rescuers appeared audibly shaken, as one exasperated “oh my God” multiple times. Another hugged one of the two women, repeatedly telling her “good job, good job.”
It’s unclear which of the two women he’s speaking to, but one rescuer tells her “let’s have you sit down, you are cut up. You’re not going to be able to walk very good, are you?”
“I’m forcing myself,” she replies.
Michigan rescuer hugs a woman who had been missing for three days after getting lost with her family on the Muskegon River. (Michigan Department of Natural Resources)
While the trio had packed protein bars and water, they gave all the food to the young Kovalcik, Hock told WWMT, while the two women survived on flowers, bark and ants.
“We are relieved to report that Jazman Hock, Sarah Vida, and Kayden Kovalcik have been located alive and safe. This is the outcome everyone involved had hoped for. We are incredibly grateful for the tireless efforts of the many law enforcement agencies, fire departments, emergency responders, search and rescue teams, and volunteers who dedicated countless hours to this search,” Michigan State Police said in a post on X.
“Jazman, Sarah, and Kayden were located safe by an MSP K-9 team and Michigan DNR Conservation Officers approximately three-quarters of a mile northeast of the Mill Iron Rd Boat Launch at 4:36 pm. It was truly remarkable to see so many highly trained professionals from multiple agencies come together by establishing a Unified Command, share resources, and work as one team toward a common goal,” the post concluded.
News Outlet contacted Michigan State Police and Michigan Department of Natural Resources for further comment.
