A North Side man who drove into Lake Michigan early Wednesday became the fourth confirmed fatality within two days on the city’s waterways, with the body of a fifth drowning victim still being sought, officials said.
Juan Romero, 55, of the 4800 block of North Hermitage Avenue, was pronounced dead at about 7 a.m. Wednesday at Weiss Memorial Hospital despite a passerby’s efforts to rescue him.
Romero drowned when his Pontiac Grand Am careered into Lake Michigan off Foster Avenue. Police suspect he may have committed suicide but they are still investigating.
Less than 12 hours earlier, on Tuesday afternoon, Chicago Fire Department scuba divers recovered the body of a boater at the 59th Street Harbor. Earlier Tuesday, they recovered the bodies of a firefighter and a passerby who drowned while attempting to rescue a man who jumped into the Little Calumet River. The body of the man they were attempting to rescue has not been recovered and may have been dragged downstream by passing barges, officials said.
More Top Picks Best Hoka Shoes For Plantar Fasciitis Men
The Foster Avenue incident began at 6:14 a.m. when witnesses told police they saw Romero’s Grand Am speeding across the rocks at the beach near Foster Avenue, a police spokeswoman said.
The witnesses said they saw the Grand Am hurtle through the air and land in about 15 to 20 feet of water, officials said. One of the witnesses dived into the water and broke a car window but could not unbuckle Romero’s seat belt, said Max Walchuk, fire department spokesman.
At about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dominick Wooten, 30, of the 600 block of South Keeler Avenue, died in what was apparently an accidental drowning after he fell from his powerboat at the 59th Street harbor.
Wooten was taken to the University of Chicago Hospitals where he was pronounced dead.
Earlier Tuesday, Chicago Police Marine Unit divers searched the little Calumet River near 134th Street and Indiana Avenue to find two men.
They were unable to locate the body of a man, described as being in his 50s or 60s, who witnesses said had jumped into the river.
A second man jumped into the river to try to save him, but both disappeared under the water.
The body of the rescuer was recovered by police divers Tuesday afternoon.
That man, who was described as an African-American, about 35 years old, remained unidentified Wednesday.
It was during that search that 39-year-old Eugene Blackmon , an 11-year veteran firefighter and scuba diver, drowned.
The crew aboard a Coast Guard boat that arrived at the Little Calumet shortly after the fire department unit, saw air tanks and breathing equipment floating downstream, according to Chief Warrant Officer Dave Ginsburg, the commanding officer of Coast Guard Station Calumet Harbor.
Chicago police divers located Blackmon, who was airlifted by Fire Department helicopters to Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead. According to the fire department, his death is under investigation.