‘Divine intervention’ for 2 rescued from Lake Michigan?

‘PLEASE HELP ME’ | 4 jump off unanchored boat; 2 rescued, 1 dead, 1 missing

A fishing trip on Lake Michigan turned into a lifesaving mission Friday morning when three suburban men rescued two young women who were treading water for more than five hours.

Tragically, the body of a man, James Shepherd, 21, of the 400 block of East Randolph, was found in the lake, and the search for another man was continuing.

All four jumped out of an unanchored sailboat that drifted away sometime between 1 and 1:30 a.m. in the harbor near Randolph Street, authorities said.

“Devastating is the word for it,” said Shepherd’s grandfather, Eugene Stunard. “He was a great kid. This leaves a hole in your heart.”

The small sailboat was a “family boat” that relatives, including his grandchildren, use on the lake, Stunard said. His grandson just completed two summer classes at the University of Illinois at Chicago, taking his last final exam Thursday morning, he said.

“He was relieved he finished them,” Stunard said.

The women were rescued by fisherman Bill Duran and two friends cruising out of Burnham Harbor near Soldier Field about 6:30 a.m.

Duran, 58, of Mokena, was piloting his 31-foot boat, named On the Edge, when he spotted a woman waving her arms about a mile east of the harbor.

“I am always looking for debris in the harbor,” he said. “That’s how I saw her. But a split-second more, I would not have been there.”

The woman said, “Please help me,” said Dr. Chad Wasson of Naperville, who also was on Duran’s boat.

Wasson, 37, and a third fisherman, Frank Zanocco, 66, of Orland Park, threw a life ring to the woman and pulled her to safety. They took her below deck, where Wasson checked her vital signs and determined she was suffering from hypothermia.

Duran said he contacted rescue workers and scanned the horizon for survivors. He spotted the second woman about 1,000 feet southwest of the first one.

“We saw her bobbing. She was worse than the first one. She couldn’t move,” he said. “To find the second girl was unbelievable. It was like a needle in a haystack.”

Wasson estimated the second woman would have drowned in another five to 10 minutes. He thinks the first woman was stronger and could have survived another half hour.

Both women were taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where they were listed in fair condition. One of them showed signs of pneumonia, officials said.

Shepherd’s body was found about 9:30 a.m. about half a mile east of Soldier Field. Rescuers continued to search for the fourth man.

There’s no indication alcohol was involved, said Sgt. Jim Van Vranken of the Chicago Police Marine Unit.

“It was youngsters out having a nice evening on the lake,” he said. “Apparently they didn’t realize the boat wasn’t going to stay with them.”

Van Vranken said he was amazed the women could stay afloat for five hours or longer without a life jacket or flotation device in 65-degree water.

“We have people in this unit that swim for a living, that’s what they do,” he said. “And it even would be challenging for them.”

Wasson said he was late getting to the dock Friday morning. Instead of leaving before dawn, the fishermen left after sunrise.

“We would never have seen them in the dark,” Wasson said.

“It makes you take a look at divine intervention,” he said. “I don’t know how on Earth those girls made it through the night. I can’t believe we saw them. They didn’t say much afterward, but they were grateful.”