A man died after being pulled from Lake Michigan Friday afternoon, police and fire officials confirmed.
According to the Chicago Police Department, emergency personnel responded to a call of a person in the water at Montrose Harbor around 5:26 p.m. Friday.
Officials said the man fell into the water, and didn't resurface. Lifeguard services as well as responders from the Chicago Fire Department pulled him from out.
He was taken in very critical condition to Weiss Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office later identified him as Ryan Klingensmith, 23, of the 800 block of W Benton St in Iowa City, Iowa.
Friends said Klingensmith had just recently moved to Chicago for a job, and was out with friends when tragedy struck.
Witnesses said he and his friends were playing beer pong when the ball fell in the water. He jumped in after, witnesses said, and didn't come back up.
"The most important thing is to pay attention," manager of safety and training at Freedom Yacht Club David Coxhead said, warning boaters to wear a lifevest on the lake. "Always be aware of your surroundings."
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Even though the air temperature is warm, experienced sailors said the water is still very cold and warn anyone at the lake against getting in.
"If you fall into cold water, you have a gasping reflex, you tend to suck water in," said Bruce Thompson, a former sailing instructor. "So if you don't have air in your lungs, you can drown, which may have been what happened."
