Lake County Gazette

The Lake County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit saved the lives of two teenage paddleboarders who went adrift on Lake Michigan. The rescue occurred within a week of the resumption of Lake Michigan patrols.

"This is what this Sheriff’s Lake Michigan Patrol Boat is all about – saving lives. I am so grateful we were able to replace our previous Lake Michigan boat that was retired in 2018. This allowed our marine unit deputies to save two young lives within a week of resuming patrols," said Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg in a press release issued a day after the June 19 rescue.

According to the press release, the Sheriff's Marine Unit watercraft was on patrol at 1:30 p.m. on June 19, approximately one mile from the Lake Bluff shoreline, when they saw two 16-year-olds, a boy from Wauconda and a girl from Lake Bluff, floating outward toward the center of Lake Michigan. The teens were unable to overcome the wind and lake current that were pulling them away from the shore.

The teens were not wearing life vests and did not have phones or other communication or emergency devices, according to the press release. They were pulled from the lake along with their paddleboards by Marine unit deputies.

Idleburg stated that the teens were uninjured and reunited with family at Lake Forest Marina.