Man dies in watercraft crash Sunday on Fox River in McHenry

A man died in a suspected watercraft crash Sunday afternoon on the Fox River in McHenry, officials report.

The Nunda Rural Fire Protection District responded to a call at 1:54 p.m. Sunday to the Fox River near Burton’s Bridge on Route 176 in McHenry for a water rescue. One person was reported missing and an “overturned jet ski was seen in the middle of the Fox River,” Nunda Rural Fire Protection District communication specialist Alex Vucha said in a news release.

Crews had been searching the river for about an hour when a deceased adult male was found in the water at 3:06 p.m. The man is believed to have crashed on the watercraft, but how or what he crashed into is under investigation by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Vucha said.

A second person, traveling with the man on a separate watercraft, declined medical treatment at the scene, Vucha said in the release.

Additional resources requested through the Mutual Aid Box Alarm System, including water rescue personnel and sonar teams, assisted at the scene.

“The Nunda Rural Fire Protection District extends our appreciation and gratitude to the surrounding agencies who assisted at the scene and covered our district during the incident,” Vucha said in the release.