updated 9:30PM
The Wilmette Fire Department was called before 6 p.m. this evening about a swimmer caught in strong currents at Gillson Park on Lake Michigan. The individual disappeared, prompting an immediate response from local emergency services. Upon arrival, the fire department coordinated with divers from across Division 3, the Coast Guard, and requested a helicopter from the Chicago Fire Department. However, the helicopter was unavailable due to another ongoing rescue mission in the city.
Chicago Fire Department Helicopter 6-8-2 makes a pass over the lakefront in Wilmette trying to spot a swimmer that was in distress. Jeff Rudolph photo
Due to the rough water conditions, divers were unable to enter the lake, so firefighters walked along the breakwater and into the surf in search of the missing swimmer. Evanston Fire Department provided jet skis, allowing divers to venture into the water. After more than an hour, the swimmer’s body was located by a firefighter on the beach, and the jet skis were used to bring the body ashore.
Fire department divers in swift water gear walk in the waters off the beach in Wilmette searching for a missing swimmer. Jeff Rudolph photo
Divers wade through rough waves as others walk the breakwater looking for a swimmer who was overcome by the current. Jeff Rudolph photo
Photographers Tim Olk and Jeff Rudolph were on the scene documenting the operation. Jeff Rudolph shared the following account:
At the Wilmette Code 4 and dive box at Gillson Park today, a 15-year-old male was pulled under by a strong current. Conditions were too severe to put divers underwater, so they conducted walking patterns using pike poles to locate the victim. After 1.5 hours, the victim was spotted in the surf by a spotter on shore. The victim was pulled out unresponsive. ALS care was started on the beach and the patient was transported to Wilmette Ambulance 27. Medics from Wilmette, Deerfield, and Skokie worked on the victim and transported him to Evanston Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The wave runners used belong to the Evanston FD. Chicago FD Air 1 assisted with an overhead look, but the churned up water was too murky to see anything.
The Evanston Fire Department wave runner tows a diver along the shoreline in Wilmette on Saturday. Jeff Rudolph photo
A staging officer manages resources as they arrive at Gillson Park to assist the Wilmette Fire Department with rescuing a swimmer in distress. Jeff Rudolph photo
The Chicago Tribune has an article HERE.
A 14-year-old boy died after being pulled from Lake Michigan this evening off of Gillson Park in Wilmette.
The search began sometime after 6 p.m. in the water off the beach near Sheridan Road and Michigan Avenue in the North Shore suburb, and the search ended about 7 p.m. when a male of unknown age was pulled from the water.
A witness saw officials pull the person from the water and put him onto a stretcher while performing CPR. The person was then placed into a Wilmette fire ambulance and taken from the scene.
Wilmette Battalion 26 took command of the scene. Jeff Rudolph photo
Wilmette Squad 26 carries gear for the department divers. Jeff Rudolph photo
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Glencoe divers responded with Ambulance 30. Jeff Rudolph photo
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The Des Plaines Fire Department Dive Squad 78 and boat. Jeff Rudolph photo
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