Suburban officials provide update after teen goes missing in Lake Michigan

Crews searching Lake Michigan for missing 14-year-old near Zion

Emergency crews are searching Lake Michigan in Chicago's northern suburbs after a 14-year-old boy went underwater Tuesday.

ZION, Ill. - New details have been released about the search for a 14-year-old boy who went missing in Lake Michigan earlier this week at Illinois Beach State Park.

What we know:

The Beach Park Fire Department says crews were called to 1 Lake Front Dr. around 4:03 p.m. Tuesday after the teen disappeared in thigh-to-waist-deep water.

The boy was reportedly struck by a wave and never resurfaced.

A rescue swimmer with Beach Park FD entered the water within two minutes of crews arriving and used a "last seen point" provided by the teen's parent and witnesses to search for the boy, officials said.

Minutes later, search teams from neighboring fire departments arrived at the scene to assist, deploying two boats and a personal watercraft.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR), and the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in the search, using sonar to scan the area. Drones were also deployed to aid in the effort.

At 4:25 p.m., a MABAS Box Alarm was activated, bringing in three more boats as well as 34 divers and sonar technicians.

After more than two hours of exhaustive efforts to locate the boy, the operation shifted from a rescue to a recovery mission. The search was suspended at around 8:30 p.m. due to safety concerns.

On Wednesday, the search resumed at 8 a.m. near North Point Marina in Winthrow Harbor. ATVs also scoured the beach to see if the boy had come to shore overnight, and rescue swimmers checked the rock walls again to make sure he wasn't stuck in a crevasse. Search efforts concluded for the day at around 3:30 p.m., with no success in locating the boy.

On Thursday, officials said IDNR would resume searching the water using sonar-equipped boats. Divers remain on standby in case anything is detected.

What they're saying:

Beach Park Fire Chief Thomas J. Stahl, in a statement, said, "Our sympathy goes out to the family and friends of the victim. This is a deeply saddening event that also bothers the rescuers involved. We are all doing what we can to bring this young man back to his family."