Chicago Man Who Drowned in Wisconsin River Identified

The 21-year-old Chicago man who drowned in the Wisconsin River during a family fishing trip over the holiday weekend has been identified.

Rescue workers and local law enforcement responded to the Lower Dells on the Wisconsin River about 7:15 p.m. Saturday after receiving numerous calls of a person in the water, according to the Columbia County sheriff’s office.

Andreas S.C. Baban of Chicago was fishing on a rock island and tried to swim back to shore, but got caught in a strong current and went under water, the sheriff’s office said. Family and bystanders tried to rescue him, but were unsuccessful.

“The male victim appeared to have gotten caught in the strong current and went under,” police said in a statement Monday, noting that the Wisconsin River is “continuously changing and the current is very strong.”

Dive teams and emergency personnel used sonar equipment to try and locate him, but his body was not recovered until 6:09 p.m. Monday, according to the sheriff’s office.