Morton Grove Man Drowns In Wisconsin Lake

MORTON GROVE, IL — Officials recovered the body of a 22-year-old Morton Grove man who drowned in Geneva Lake on July 13. Geneva Lake police said in a statement the man was identified as Fadi Albazi.

Officials received a call of a possible drowning on Geneva Lake near George Williams College at around 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. Witnesses told officials Albazi was "tubing" when he fell off the inflatable tube and slipped out of his life jacket.

Emergency responders from Wisconsin and northern Illinois responded to locate the missing person, but officials said his body had sunk approximately 128 feet below the surface — too deep for divers to safely retrieve him. Albazi was recovered by two remotely operated vehicles which could withstand the pressure.

"He slipped under the water, struggled to recover himself in the water. Other people in the boat attempted to rescue him and threw other [personal flotation devices] but they were unable to," said Geneva Lake Police Commander Tom Hausner in a statement. "He went under the water and subsequently has drowned."

Officials stressed the importance of wearing a life jacket that fits properly. In the event a person does go in the water, the life jacket should hold them enough to keep their head above the surface.

"Fadi was very kind and loved by many people," according to an online fundraiser which has raised over $50,000 to help Albazi's family with funeral expenses. "He always lit up the room and always made people laugh."

According to his obituary, he had recently started a job at Chase Bank in Morton Grove.