Christopher Szmajlo, Missing Orland Park Man, Pulled From Lake Michigan Near Navy Pier

Body Of Missing Orland Park Man Pulled From Lake Michigan

After hours of searching the shores near Lake Michigan, emergency crews pulled the body of an Orland Park man missing since late Monday evening from an area of the lake near Navy Pier Tuesday morning.

A relative of 29-year-old Christopher Szmajlo, identified the body Tuesday, the Chicago Sun-Times reports. Szmajlo had reportedly fallen out of a sailboat near the site of the pier's fireworks show. It was not immediately known how long he was in the water before friends noticed he was missing. Crews initially responded to a call that the man had fallen into the water around 10:15 p.m. Monday.

Divers searched the lake as far as a half-mile away from shore and the use of infrared camera technology to pick up on body heat near the water's surface. The search stopped for a few hours, between 2:30 a.m. and sunrise. Szmajlo's body was identified around 9:10 a.m. and was pulled from the water at 10:16 a.m. He was later identified by his uncle.

His family told NBC Chicago Szmajlo had been out enjoying the weekend with friends and added that they did not know how he fell into the water.

"All boaters are encouraged to exercise extreme caution," Erroll Davis, Chicago Police Department's Marine Unit commanding officer, added of the incident. "Our sincere condolences go out to the family."

Orland Park Patch reports that the incident is now under investigation by police.

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