On a day that would typically draw a crowd, Naperville’s Centennial Beach sits quiet and empty as it remains closed Friday following an incident yesterday in which a man died after being pulled from the water.
Longtime Naperville resident Mary Lou Wehrli says she was walking her dog along the Naperville Riverwalk Thursday evening when she suddenly heard the sirens.
“As we walked down the Riverwalk heading east, it became clear they were at the beach,” said Wehrli. “So you walk and see that the beach was empty. The public had already left the water.”
Man lost in water while attempting to swim to dock
Just after 5:40 p.m. Thursday, the Naperville Police Department dispatched a team to Centennial Beach in response to a report of a missing person last seen by the deep end, according to a news release by the NPD.
Based on an initial investigation, the victim was with a group of friends in the water, intending to swim to a floating dock in the deep end, but upon arriving, the rest of the group realized the victim was no longer with them.
After searching the area, the friends notified the lifeguards, who began their missing person protocol, which Wehrli said she witnessed firsthand.
“I was seeing the guards in action,” said Wehrli. “They had teams that were going down in the deep. They’d line up and say ‘On my count, 3, 2, 1, Go! And they’d simultaneously go down to the bottom of the 15, go a couple strokes and come back up and they’d repeat that over and over. Pretty demanding work for the guards.”
Wehrli says there were also scuba divers searching while a line of emergency vehicles lined Jackson Avenue on standby.
27-year-old man pulled from water shortly after 6 p.m.
According to the police department, lifeguards eventually recovered an unresponsive 27-year-old man male from the water shortly at about 6:06 p.m.
The fire department transported the individual to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, authorities said.
“Very, very sad day and it’s very emotional,” said Wehrli. “There were several people along with the Riverwalk and it was an atmosphere of silence. Nobody’s really gabbing to speculate. They’re just witnessing something that’s profound and troubling and permanent.”
‘No indication of foul play’ authorities say
According to the Naperville Police Department, there’s no indication of foul play, and the exact cause of death is under investigation.
Meanwhile, Centennial Beach remains closed. The Naperville Park District said in a news release it will be closed again on Saturday, July 12, but will reopen with its normal schedule starting Sunday, July 13.
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