Teens Adrift A Mile From Shore Saved By Sheriff's Deputies On New Patrol Boat

LAKE FOREST, IL — Less than a week after resuming patrols on Lake Michigan after six years without a functional boat, Lake County sheriff's deputies saved the lives of a pair of teenagers, officials said.

The sheriff's marine unit was patrolling about a mile off the Lake Bluff shoreline around 1:30 p.m. Wednesday when they spotted a 16-year-old Lake Bluff girl and a 16-year-old Wauconda boy on paddle boards.

Struggling against the wind and current of the lake, the pair was floating farther and farther out into the lake, according to Deputy Chief Chris Covelli.

Neither of the teens were wearing life preservers, and neither had any form of communication.

Deputies pulled them from the water and retrieved their paddleboards before bringing them back to the shore at Lake Forest Marina, where they were reunited with their families.

“This is what this Sheriff’s Lake Michigan Patrol Boat is all about — saving lives," Sheriff John Idleburg said in a statement.

"I am so grateful we were able to replace our previous Lake Michigan boat that was retired in 2018," Idleburg said. "This allowed our marine unit deputies to save two young lives within a week of resuming patrols.”

The office's new Fluid Watercraft Inflatable Patrol Boat, equipped with dual 225-horsepower engines and room for 14 passengers, was purchased by the county earlier this year and began patrols earlier this month.

The new one is operated by licensed Coast Guard captain sheriff’s personnel and stored at North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor when not in use, and the sheriff's office coordinates patrols with the U.S. Coast Guard and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources Conservation Police.

"Adding a sheriff’s office watercraft on Lake Michigan is very significant. Response time in an emergency is crucial, and having a sheriff’s boat available will increase the likelihood of lives saved during search and rescue missions. We are grateful for our partnership with North Point Marina and thankful for their assistance in allowing us space to dock our boat.”

The new boat is named in memory of the late Lake County Sheriff's Deputy Gary Murphy, who was killed in 1976 while attempting to disarm a Knollwood woman who was later determined to be legally insane.

Covelli said the sheriff's previous watercraft was outdated and had to be retired due to "multiple mechanical and safety issues."

The marine unit's rescue of the teenaged paddle boarders comes one day after two teenage girls died when they crashed a jet ski into a boat on Lake Marie in Antioch.