A child who was spotted walking on icy Cedar Lake in Lake Villa and then was unable to be located was found safe following a search effort Monday afternoon.
The Lake Villa Fire Protection District and Lake Villa Police Department responded around 12:12 p.m. Monday to Allendale Association, 600 West Grand Avenue in Lake Villa, for a report of an ice rescue.
A 911 caller reported a juvenile was walking across Cedar Lake on the ice but was not in distress.
The caller then reported they could no longer see the child. It was unknown whether he fell through the ice or if he made it to the other side of the lake.
Boats and divers from area fire departments were called to the scene to begin a search.
Firefighters also canvassed the surrounding neighborhoods to see if the child had made it off the lake.
Lake Villa Deputy Police Chief James DeCaro said the child was a runaway from Allendale.
He walked across the ice after having a mental health crisis, DeCaro said. It was learned he made it off the ice safely.
He was located by firefighter-paramedics near Route 59 and Petite Lake Road approximately an hour later, just after 1:10 p.m.
The boy was uninjured but was transported to an area hospital for an evaluation, DeCaro said.
Allendale is a therapeutic residential day school where children “have the opportunity to restore their lives and discover a better future through emotional and behavioral treatment,” according to the not-for-profit organization’s website.
The fire department routinely responds to Allendale for kids who run away from the facility and enter Cedar Lake.