CHICAGO — A 55-year-old man died after going into Lake Michigan and being unable to get out early Thursday, officials said.
At 12:43 a.m., the man and a woman were at Montrose Beach in the 5500 block of North Lake Shore Drive when they went into the lake to swim, police said. The woman got out of the water but noticed the man was struggling.
The woman and a friend tried to help the man get out but it didn't work, police said. They lost sight of the man and called for help.
Officials, using a helicopter and diving team, searched for the man for hours. One police diver was quoted by CBS2 as saying the lake was particularly rough, with waves between three and six feet.
At about 8 a.m., his body was found near the Montrose Beach dog beach in the 700 block of West Foster Avenue, according to the Fire Department.
The man was pronounced dead, according to the Fire Department.
The National Weather Service warned Chicago beaches could see "life-threatening waves and currents" with waves reaching four to seven feet late Thursday through Friday afternoon. It advised swimmers to keep out of Lake Michigan and check cpdbeaches.com for swim ban and advisory updates at individual beaches.
Dangerous swim conditions through Friday for IL and IN Lake Michigan beaches. #ILWX INWX pic.twitter.com/JoHVhnBqpk
— NWS Chicago (@NWSChicago) August 31, 2017
