Chicago Heights 5-year-old Nearly Drowned in Lake Michigan

A 5-year-old boy from Chicago Heights was airlifted to a hospital after he almost drowned at West Beach Thursday.

Several of the boy's family members were at the beach at that time and reported him missing around 4:30 p.m., police told Sun-Times Media.

Lifeguards found him about 10 minutes later about 20 yards from shore. CPR and other life-saving measures were started immediately, officials told Sun-Times Media.

There was no evidence of carelessness, witnesses told Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Chief Ranger Mike Bremer. The boy was initially taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake campus in Gary before being airlifted to Comer Children’s Hospital at the University of Chicago.

Bremer said the boy was underwater for about 10 minutes.