A person was pulled from Lake Michigan near Northwestern University's Lakefill in Evanston around 7 a.m. Wednesday, and their condition remained unclear hours later. Northwestern campus police first reported seeing something floating in the water at 6:52 a.m., and within minutes Evanston Fire Department swimmers were in the lake pulling the person out.
According to The Daily Northwestern, two Evanston Fire Department swimmers were already in the water and “pulling in a body” by 7:01 a.m., just minutes after the initial report of something floating near the Lakefill. An EFD incident commander later confirmed that only one civilian had been in the water, ruling out concerns about additional people needing rescue.
By about 7:30 a.m., Evanston Fire Department ambulances were headed to Evanston Hospital, the student newspaper's report noted. As of publication, the person's status remained unclear, and the outlet's reporting did not specify their age, identity, or how they came to be in the lake.
Police Say Investigation Is Ongoing, No Threat to Campus
The Evanston Police Department said the incident remains under investigation and that a news release would be posted later the same day, per the same account. Officers also emphasized there was “no danger to the public or NU community,” seeking to reassure students and residents near the lakefront even as the circumstances remained unresolved.
As part of that investigation, police said an EPD drone would be deployed along the lakefront and the southern part of Northwestern's campus to assist officers, the Daily Northwestern reported. CBS Chicago separately reported that the person was taken to Endeavor Health Evanston Hospital and that police are investigating the incident, though the person's condition remains unknown.
Separate 2025 Incident Involved Larger Search Effort
Lake Michigan's Evanston shoreline has seen water rescues before. In a separate incident from 2025, a third swimmer who had gone missing beyond a break wall was found and removed from the lake around 9:40 p.m. but was pronounced dead at the scene, according to CBS News Chicago. In that case, a bystander helped two other swimmers out of the water, and neither required hospitalization, the outlet reported.
That earlier search effort involved Evanston divers, rescue swimmers and support units, along with a Chicago Fire Department helicopter and the U.S. Coast Guard, per the same CBS News Chicago account. It is not established whether Wednesday's incident near the Lakefill is connected in any way to that earlier case or to other past lakefront emergencies in Evanston.
For now, Evanston police have not released the identity or condition of the person pulled from the water near the Lakefill, and the department's promised news release had not yet been published as of this report. Hoodline will update this story as police release additional information.
