Man still missing following second day of search along Winnetka’s waterfront

A search of the Winnetka lakeshore Wednesday was again unsuccessful in its attempt to locate a young man reportedly taken by the lake early Tuesday morning.

Following an 11-hour operation on Tuesday, Aug. 15, Village of Winnetka emergency units resumed a search amid calmer waters on Wednesday morning. Village Communications Manager Josie Clark said rescue personnel used boats, search dogs and multiple types of infrared cameras in hopes of locating the man, who is in his late teens. Clark said the search covered about three-quarters of a mile of shoreline and a half-mile into the water near Elder Lane Beach.

Clark said the future of the search is uncertain.

“We plan to evaluate tomorrow regarding further searches,” she said.

Local authorities responded to a 911 call at 2:12 a.m. Aug. 15 that reported an individual was “pulled under the water” near Elder beach, 239 Sheridan Road in Winnetka. The missing individual reportedly was with two others at the beach when he went from the pier to the water and did not surface.

The National Weather Service on Monday evening and early Tuesday morning reported “life-threatening currents” near the shoreline of Lake Michigan up and down the North Shore. The immediate search Tuesday was limited because of dangerous water conditions that included high winds and large waves, keeping first responders from entering the water from the shoreline.

The U.S. Coast Guard joined the rescue efforts with water units and a helicopter Tuesday, but did not return to the search on Wednesday, Clark said. The Record’s attempts to reach the Coast Guard were unsuccessful.

Local officials announced the operation had become a recovery mission after several hours on Tuesday, and by 1:30 p.m., authorities ended the search for the day.

Elder Lane Beach, a property of the Winnetka Park District, has been closed all season because of an eroded and dangerous beachfront.

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