Divers find body of man who went into Fox River in Elgin
Authorities have recovered the body of a man last seen in the Fox River after the Fourth of July fireworks show in Elgin, according to the Elgin Fire Department.
A South Elgin rescue boat recovered the yet unidentified remains of the man at about 1:30 p.m. Thursday in the water just south of National Street in Elgin, authorities said.
Elgin Fire Battalion Tim Michaels said a call came in at 10:28 p.m. Wednesday about a man in the water near Festival Park in the downtown area.
There was still a large crowd, and witnesses had different accounts about what happened, Fire Chief Dave Schmidt said. Some said the man waded into the river just north of Grand Victoria Casino, appeared to stumble and went underwater. Others said he "rolled" into the water.
The man was described as white, about 40 years old, wearing a plaid shirt and khaki pants, he said.
Elgin police spokeswoman Kristie Hilton said the death is now a police investigation.
Divers searched the river until 3 a.m. Thursday and resumed the search six hours later.
"The guys were getting tired and we didn't want to make any mistakes, so we called it off," Michaels said.
Schmidt said rescuers were searching with robots and sonar systems from the South Elgin dam to the Grand Victoria Casino riverboat.
The fire department had boats in the water Wednesday evening because of the crowds expected at Festival Park for the Fourth of July festivities, Michaels said. Authorities also said they used a drone to search for the man overnight.
"(People) were yelling at this guy, 'Get out, what are you doing?'" Michaels said. "The river is very high and swollen, and the water is moving very quickly."
No one matching the description was reported missing Thursday morning, Michaels said. After the crowd cleared out, authorities found a backpack on the sidewalk, but there was no identification inside, he said.
Rescuers from Des Plaines, Streamwood, Elk Grove Village, Carpentersville, South Elgin and Hanover Park helped with the search today. Hanover Park and East Dundee rescuers assisted Wednesday evening, officials said.
The Elgin police and fire departments continue to investigate. Anyone with information is asked to call (847) 289-2700.
• Daily Herald staff photographer Rick West contributed to this story.