Local authorities — with a helping hand from a good Samaritan — rescued a Benton Harbor man after his boat capsized on Dewey Lake Wednesday morning, according to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies with the department responded to a 911 call about a capsized boat on the lake, located in Sister Lakes, around 10:36 a.m. Police were told that a lone fisherman was hanging onto the side of the boat, yelling for help.

An officer with the Silver Creek Township Police Department arrived at the scene. A neighbor helped the officer drive out to the water to rescue the victim, 69-year-old James Britanyak, of Benton Harbor.

Britanyak told police that he was fishing on the lake when his boat started taking on water. The man was unable to get back to shore before his boat capsized, he said.

Britanyak was transported to Borgess-Lee Memorial Hospital in Dowagiac.

Crews with the Sister Lakes Fire Department and Pride Care Ambulance Service assisted deputies and the township officer at the scene.