Fatal Fall Through Ice Claims One at Lake in DuPage County

Bartlett, IL - A Bartlett man drowned Feb. 28 after he fell through the ice he was walking on at Quarry Lake at West Branch Forest Preserve in Bartlett.

Witnesses saw Leon Gonzalez, 21 of Bartlett, fall through around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, according to a Forest Preserve District of DuPage County news release.

A friend tried to rescue Gonzalez, but an off-duty DuPage County sheriff’s police officer stopped him because of the hazardous ice.

Police and fire units from Bartlett, Bloomingdale, Hanover Park, Winfield and DuPage County Sheriff’s Police, along with Forest Preserve District of DuPage County police, searched for Gonzalez.

Gonzales was found and pulled from the water at 5:39 p.m., and he was taken to Northwestern Medicine’s Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield. He was pronounced dead at 6:45 p.m. at the hospital, the forest preserve reported.

The DuPage County Coroner’s Office will perform an autopsy today.

The Forest Preserve District of DuPage County reminds the public that there should be at least four inches of clear ice on water before venturing out onto the ice.

The following signs could indicate dangerous conditions, according to the forest preserve district:

• Cracks, ridges or faults
• Different colored ice, especially dark gray or black
• Open water in the center of an otherwise frozen lake
• Ice that looks rotten or porous
• Ice covered by snow, water or slush
• Running water or bubbles under the ice