A teen is in extremely critical condition after being submerged for more than 30 minutes at the Waukegan Municipal Beach.
According to Waukegan fire officials, the department received a call just after 6 p.m. of a person struggling in the waters of Lake Michigan near the Stiner music pavilion.
Officials say that the teen was one of four individuals swimming between two piers in the commercial harbor channel, which is lined with “No Swimming” signs. Two of the teens were on the pavilion side of the harbor, and another had already been assisted out of the water by bystanders.
Fire divers entered the water and searched for the other teen, and finally located him after 30 minutes. He was taken to a nearby hospital in extremely critical condition.
According to the Chicago Tribune, several drownings, including one earlier this year, have occurred in the harbor in recent years.
