advertisement

Rafter rescued from tree in middle of DuPage River in Naperville

A 19-year-old man who was rafting down the swollen DuPage River with two other teenagers Tuesday afternoon got stuck in a tree in Naperville but was rescued without injury, authorities said.

The three teens were in an inflatable raft without life jackets when the raft capsized just east of the covered bridge near the Riverwalk Eatery, said Andy Dina, Naperville Fire Department bureau chief.

Two of the teens, who authorities said were young men 18 or 19 years old, swam to one edge of the river and got out on their own before firefighters arrived at 4:17 p.m., Dina said.

But the third rafter grabbed a tree on an island in the river. The water was so high from Monday's drenching rain that the island itself wasn't visible.

“All you could see is the tree,” Dina said. “The tree is literally right in the middle of the water.”

The 19-year-old remained trapped in the tree until 5:10 p.m. when swift water technicians from the fire department helped him into a boat.

“He was unable to get to shore,” said Charles Gros, Naperville firefighter/paramedic and water rescue team coordinator. “We have swift water technicians that are trained to be in this water. We ended up sending a boat into the water on a rope system and lowered the boat down to him.”

By 5:25 p.m., Dina said, the man was safe on shore and he wasn't hurt.

Dina said this was the first time someone has gotten trapped in high waters since flooding began Monday. Rafting down high waters — especially without a life jacket — is not a safe move, he said.

“They were in an inflatable raft — a three-person inflatable raft,” Dina said. “We discourage that.”

Dive teams from the Naperville and Aurora fire departments responded to the scene, and additional swift water technicians were stationed downriver in case the teen fell off the tree and ended up in the water.

Firefighters from Downers Grove, Bolingbrook and Lisle/Woodridge also responded to the scene, parking their vehicles at the top of Rotary Hill along the Riverwalk, where they didn't disrupt traffic, Dina said.

Authorities did not release the names or hometowns of any of the rafters.

• Daily Herald staff writer Lindsay Gloor and staff photographer Daniel White contributed to this report.

Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.comAn individual waits in a tree to be rescued under a swirling DuPage River in downtown Naperville.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.comBill Kostelny and Scott Bostrom of the Naperville Swift Water Rescue Team, ease their raft downstream to retrieve an individual from a tree in the middle of a raging DuPage River in Naperville.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.comBill Kostelny and Scott Bostrom of the Naperville Swift Water Rescue Team, retrieve an individual from a tree in the middle of a raging DuPage River in downtown Naperville.
Daniel White/dwhite@dailyherald.comCharles Gross, Coordinator of the Naperville Swift Water Rescue Team, talks to his team after they rescued an individual stuck in a tree in the middle of the DuPage River in downtown Naperville.
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.