A man was transported to the hospital after being rescued from the Fox River near the McHenry Dam following a near-drowning incident Wednesday evening, authorities said.
The McHenry Township Fire Protection District and McHenry County Sheriff’s Office responded around 7:32 p.m. Wednesday to the Stratton Lock and Dam, 2910 State Park Road in unincorporated McHenry, for a report of a drowning.
McHenry Township Fire Protection District Battalion Chief Chris Kozel said the call was initially dispatched as a cardiac arrest but it was determined that was inaccurate as the victim was breathing.
Kozel said a man in his late 20s was swimming in the water on the Fox River when the near-drowning occurred.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) Police was in the area and pulled the victim from the water, according to police radio traffic.
IDNR officers came upon the scene and called for the fire department.
The man was conscious, breathing and remembered what happened, Kozel said.
Kozel said the area where the man was swimming is not a common area for people to swim due to the currents and deeper water.
The victim was brought to the west side of the river near the Stratton Lock and Dam office where firefighters and paramedics met the IDNR boat.
He was transferred to an ambulance and transported to Northwestern Medicine Hospital in McHenry.
Kozel said the man was in fair condition at the time of transport and not believed to have life-threatening injuries.
Neither drugs nor alcohol were suspected to be factors. Further details regarding the incident were not known.