Search indicates reports of missing swimmer in Evanston, Illinois are unfounded
EVANSTON, Ill. (CBS) -- All beaches in north suburban Evanston were closed to swimmers late Monday as police and fire crews searched the water for a swimmer in trouble – only to end up concluding there was no missing swimmer after all.
At 3:18 p.m., the Evanston Fire Department was called for a report of a missing swimmer at the Lee Street Beach in Evanston. First-responders were on the scene in minutes, and received a briefing from lifeguards about where the swimmer was last seen.
First responders learned the swimmer was about 75 yards offshore and about 25 yards past the sanctioned swimming area.
At the time the swimmer was reported missing, conditions on Lake Michigan were relatively calm, with waves of only a couple feet high.
A search was conducted all along the Evanston lakefront, and all Evanston beaches were closed during the search. A major search effort involving divers and crews in boats and jet skis was witnessed offshore from the Greenwood Street Beach – located half a mile north of the Lee Street Beach.
The Evanston fire drone also went up, along with the Chicago Fire Department helicopter.
Ultimately, search efforts by lifeguards, the Evanston and Chicago fire departments, and the Mutual Aid Box System Division 3 dive team concluded there were no swimmers unaccounted for.
Fire and police units were clearing the area after 6 p.m.
Evanston beaches will reopen on Tuesday.