Fire and police crews continue searching Sunday for a 52-year-old who jumped from a boat into Lake Catherine and never resurfaced near Antioch Saturday afternoon.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Antioch Fire Protection District responded around 3:50 p.m. Saturday to the area of the 43100 block of North Andyville Lane in unincorporated Antioch for a water rescue.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said the Lake County Sheriff’s Marine Unit was told that a man jumped into the water and did not resurface.
A preliminary investigation shows a 52-year-old Mount Prospect man jumped off of a pontoon boat to swim.
The boat, which was in between Channel Lake and Lake Catherine, was being operated by the man’s adult son.
The 52-year-old man briefly resurfaced but then fell below the water surface and was not seen again, Covelli said.
The Mutual Aid Box Alarm System (MABAS) was activated to the box alarm level to bring numerous fire department boats and divers to the scene.
Fire crews from well over a dozen departments in Lake County and McHenry County responded to the alarm.
Sheriff’s marine unit boats and fire department boats searched the lake with sonar for approximately eight hours Saturday.
They called off the search at midnight and resumed around 6 a.m. Sunday.
Crews have searched for over 11 hours combined but so far have been unable to locate the man.
The water in the area they are searching is approximately 30 feet deep, Covelli said.