In Lake County, Illinois, efforts are underway to recover a missing 14-year-old boy who was swept into Lake Michigan by a wave, according to witnesses and fire officials.
According to those present, the boy was spending time with his father at Illinois Beach State Park, close to a break wall, when he was pulled into the water by a wave and submerged.
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The Coast Guard said the original call came in just after 4 p.m.
Following an extensive four-hour search involving over 15 emergency agencies from both Illinois and Wisconsin, teams returned to shore and shifted the mission at Beach Park to a recovery operation.
The boy’s father watched from the shore, as rescue crews and drones worked to find the teen.
The family’s visit from Wisconsin, is ending, officials say, likely as the first lake drowning for Beach Park, this summer.
Paula Myrie said she prayed with the dad when she showed up as a simple stranger, hoping to lend hope.
“And so, I prayed for him because I wanted to encourage him because what he was saying to me was, ‘I just took my eyes off him for just – I just want him to come back,'” Waukegan resident Myrie said. “Can you imagine how that family feels? The water is not enticing anymore. Cooling off and having a good time on the beach, a picnic has no appeal to me anymore. Somebody lost their life. Somebody’s child won’t go home. A family is torn.”
Maria Bandera said, in Spanish, that she was swimming alongside the boy’s father at the time, while his son was near a break wall.
“The teenager walked towards the rocks, and a wave hit him. And he fell on the rocks, and his father saw everything. And someone else called 911,” Bandera said.
Fire officials say crews will be back on the lake sometime Wednesday morning to continue the search.
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