Man, 26, dies after being pulled from Lake Michigan off Illinois Beach State Park, authorities confirm

NOTE: Attached video before WGN received confirmation that the victim had died.

ZION, Ill. — A 26-year-old man has died after being pulled from Lake Michigan by local authorities off Illinois Beach State Park in the far north suburbs Saturday night, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office confirmed.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the department launched its Lake Michigan boat after receiving a call about the distressed swimmer just after 8 p.m. Saturday. The Sheriff’s Office says authorities, including local fire agencies and Illinois Conservation Police, searched the water for two hours and recovered the victim just after 10 p.m., about 30 feet from the shore.

He was taken to an area hospital and subsequently pronounced dead, the Sheriff’s Office says.

A preliminary investigation showed that the victim, along with another 26-year-old man and a 28-year-old man, were swimming from the shore to a rock wall, according to the Sheriff’s Office. The victim was not able to make it to the wall or back to shore when he went under the water.

The victim’s identity has not been released.

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