Authorities in Chicago said a man died after he tried swimming in the frigid waters of Lake Michigan.
The swimmer was hanging out with a group of young people at the pier when he jumped into the water, witnesses said.
“I was on my bike. I came up here, and I noticed there was a guy backstroking. Jumped off the pier. He was backstroking, and then he just went down. The water is really cold. Probably shocked the body,” a witness recalled.
A friend called rescuers, and a thorough search of the area near the pier was launched before the swimmer was found unresponsive.
The man died at the University of Chicago Hospital. Officials said beaches are not yet open in Chicago, and there are currently no lifeguards to help in such situations.
“It’s very sad. To go against that current, it takes a lot. Even the strongest swimmer will probably go down in that water,” another witness said.
“Too cold, too windy, too early to get in that water. This is not the time to get in the water at all.”
