Roaming Rescue Ring Hits Pewaukee Beach After Teen’s Tragic Drowning

A bright orange life-ring cabinet now sits along Pewaukee Lake's public beach after a painful stretch of drownings last summer, including the death of a 17-year-old Hamilton High student. The cabinet holds a throwable flotation device that bystanders can grab and toss while emergency crews are still on the way. Village officials say the unit is designed to be mobile so it can be shifted along the shoreline and give people faster access to life-saving gear where it is needed most.

How the new cabinet is meant to help

The Village of Pewaukee Police Department installed the unit with help from the Pewaukee Lake Advisory Committee and the Pewaukee Fire Department, Detective Craig Drummy told TMJ4. He said someone on shore can open the cabinet quickly and deploy the ring to keep a person afloat while police or fire crews race to the scene. The department also plans to move the cabinet along the lakefront as weather, crowds and usage patterns change so it can be positioned where it will make the biggest impact.

How the unit came together

Sergeant Lucas Twelmeyer has dubbed the device a “Mobile Life Ring Cabinet” and said it grew out of a collaborative effort among local agencies and lake advocates, as reported by CBS58. The cabinet’s bright orange color and simple pull-handle design are meant to let almost anyone walking by release a throwable flotation device without needing special training. Local business owners and lake residents told reporters they welcomed the extra layer of protection after what many described as a bruising season for the lakeshore community.

The drowning that prompted the change

The push for on-shore rescue gear followed the June 29, 2025 drowning of 17-year-old Messiah Beamon-Perry, who did not resurface after jumping from a fishing pier late that night, according to WISN 12. The Western Lakes Dive Team recovered the teen from about eight feet of water, and first responders tried to resuscitate him. Investigators said alcohol did not appear to be a factor. Hamilton School District officials offered counseling and support to students in the days after his death.

Safety tips from state officials

State officials and water safety groups note that even strong swimmers can get into trouble quickly in cold water, near sudden drop-offs or in thick weeds, and that flotation can be the difference between a scare and a tragedy. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources urges people to wear properly fitted life jackets, stay away from alcohol while on the water and let someone know their plans before they head out, according to the Wisconsin DNR. Local leaders say the cabinet is meant to complement those individual precautions, not replace them, by giving bystanders a reachable flotation device when seconds count.

Family hopes it helps

Messiah's mother, Alexis Beamon, said she believes her son would have wanted something in place that could help save others and called the cabinet “bittersweet,” TMJ4 reported. “I don't want anybody to feel this way,” she told reporters. Police said the unit will be folded into broader summer safety planning, moved along the shoreline as needed and paired with outreach on designated swim areas and life-jacket use.