NW Indiana man rescues 4 people in one day from Lake Michigan

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. (WLS) -- A northwest Indiana man rescued four people from Lake Michigan on Monday - and this isn't the first time he's credited with saving lives.

Brian Sadowski was strolling with his wife, Michelle, along the pier at the Michigan City, Ind., lighthouse when he rescued four people - one after the other. Twenty years ago, in the same place, Sadowski said he rescued a woman who was drowning.

On Monday, Sadowski's wife noticed a little boy in the water, about halfway between the boardwalk and the lighthouse on the breakside of the wall.

"When I saw the little boy go down I knew he was struggling," Michelle Sadowski said. "As soon as I told him, he's like, 'I'm going. There's no question.'"

With that, Brian Sadowski dove into waves of Lake Michigan and swam to the boy fighting the undertow.

"When he saw me, he pretty much latched on right away," Brian Sadowski said. "We both went down a couple times, had to kind of push him off of me once to get a better grip on him."

However, once he safely delivered the boy to the rocks, his wife spotted something else - another boy struggling in the water.

"I hated to do it because he's so tired, but there's another kid who's going under," Michelle Sadowski said.

After pulling two boys from a fighting undercurrent, Brian used what strength he had left to drag another man and woman up from the waves.

On Tuesday, back at the scene of four near-drownings, Brian and Michelle Sadowski said they were emotionally shaken. Brian said he was physically sore.

"I'm a little beat up," Brian said. "My ribs are a little sore. My arms are hurting a little. My feet are banged up a little bit. But it's better to be sore today than not be here today."