Authorities on Monday identified the man who drowned over the weekend at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion as Donald Martinez, 35, of Waukegan.
Martinez died about 6 p.m. Sunday after swimming by himself in an area not posted for swimming, said Capt. Howard Brewer of the Illinois Department of Conservation police.
Bystanders swam out with scuba masks but could not find Martinez initially, Brewer said. After about 15 minutes, a bystander spotted Martinez in about 12 feet of water just inside a marked swimming area, he said.
Emergency personnel tried cardiopulmonary resuscitation, Brewer said. Martinez was pronounced dead shortly before 7 p.m. at Midwestern Regional Medical Center, Zion, said Lake County Deputy Coroner Jim Wipper.
Witnesses told police that Martinez had been drinking, Brewer said. Toxicology reports on Martinez won’t be ready until at least the end of the week, Wipper said.
The drowning is the second in the last two weeks off the park. On July 6, Christian E. Mortensen, 26, of Waukegan, died after being swept into Lake Michigan by currents of the Dead River.