‘It’s horrible’: Body of missing worker found in Downers Grove sewer

Downers Grove authorities confirmed Tuesday that the body of a contract worker lost in a storm sewer amid tempestuous weather Monday has been found.

“At approximately 5 p.m., the missing crew member was located in the storm sewer near Washington Street. He was pronounced deceased at the scene,” authorities said.

“The village’s thoughts are with the crew members, their families and everyone at Vortex Lining Systems during this incredibly difficult time. Out of respect for the families' privacy, names of the crew members are not being released at this time,” officials noted.

What had been a rescue effort Monday, when another worker was pulled from the sewer alive, become a recovery operation Tuesday, as crews who had worked overnight continued their underground search for the missing man.

Occupational Health and Safety Administration officials were at the scene, and spokesperson Juan J. Rodriguez confirmed the agency had opened an investigation. “No additional information will be provided” during the investigation, said Rodriguez, deputy regional director for the eastern region.

Downers Grove police and fire crews along with other first-responders converged Tuesday morning on a neighborhood west of the accident scene, taping off a block-wide area. A stretcher was brought to the scene near Carpenter Street between Gilbert Avenue and Curtiss Street.

At about 12:50 p.m. Monday, workers at the sewer construction site on the 800 block of Curtiss Street — near Downers Grove village hall and the police station — flagged down officers to say two men had disappeared in a stormwater sewer.

The accident occurred as Downers Grove and surrounding communities were hit with thunderstorms, high winds and tornado warnings.

Downers Grove Fire Department crews and assisting agencies rescued one worker approximately 200 feet from the original point of entry, the village stated on Facebook. “He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital and is in good condition.”

“Current water conditions within the storm sewer make further search efforts extremely dangerous,” authorities said late Monday. “The search efforts will resume when the water conditions within the sewer improve to a safe condition.”

“It’s horrible,” said Margaret Escamilla, who was walking her dog on Curtiss Street.

Escamilla, who lost power around 12:15 p.m. Monday, described the onslaught of the storm Tuesday morning.

“It was pitch black,” she noted. “The rain was unbelievable, it was coming sideways. We saw the trees bending.”

Over on Carpenter Street, numerous homeowners experiencing electrical outages recounted golf-ball-sized hail and too-close-for-comfort lightning.

“There was no going outside,” Gina Pekofske said Tuesday afternoon.

She watched recovery efforts with concern. “I feel awful that it happened. You’re just doing your job,” Pekofske said.

Sue Milewski watched the storm come in. “I think those sirens should have gone off a lot sooner,” she noted. “This is just a tragedy for the entire community.”

Representatives from OSHA and Vortex Lining Systems surveyed the accident site Tuesday. Texas-based Vortex has a contract with the village to maintain a pipe that carries water flow from St. Joseph Creek through the downtown area under pavement, parking lots and buildings, according to village records.

Vortex Chief Marketing Officer Bo Sims said the Downers Grove Fire Department is leading the search-and-rescue operation.

“We are working very closely with local authorities and will provide additional updates as information becomes available,” he added.

Vortex has been working on a large-diameter pipe rehabilitation project since 2025, village officials said.

Village officials noted that “the cause and manner of death will be determined by the DuPage County coroner’s office.”

· Daily Herald staff writer Susan Sarkauskas contributed to this report.