Man who fell off tube on Fox Lake believed to have died, authorities say

A man being pulled on a tube by a boat Friday morning in Fox Lake is believed to have died after falling into the water, while two children who were on the tube and wearing life jackets survived, Illinois Conservation Police Capt. Eric Schreiber said.

Marine rescue crews are continuing to search for the man, believed to be in his 20s, Lake County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Lt. Chris Covelli said. He was reported missing after he entered the water about 9:30 a.m. and did not resurface.

As of 2:30 p.m., the mission had transitioned into a recovery rather than a rescue, Schreiber said. It is unknown whether the man was wearing a life jacket at the time he fell into the water.

The search is ongoing south of Crabapple Island, which is near the intersection of Fox and Nippersink lakes on the Chain O’ Lakes, Schreiber said.

Multiple fire department crews are on the scene attempting to locate the man, Covelli said.

Schreiber said alcohol is not believed to have contributed to the incident at this point.

Four people were thought to have been on the boat pulling the tube, which had three people on it, including the two children and the man believed to be dead, Schreiber said. The tube reportedly flipped over and the man did not emerge.

There was clear visibility on Fox Lake, slight winds and not a lot of boat traffic at the time of the incident, Schreiber said.

Lake County Sheriff’s Office will have marine unit officers on the scene this afternoon, Covelli said. Illinois Conservation Police have arrived and are the primary law enforcement agency at the scene.

At 6 p.m., Schreiber said he was unsure how long the search would continue, but another officer was headed to the scene to help continue the search further into the evening, he said.