Police rescue man from Fox River in Johnsburg – Shaw Local

A man jumped into the Fox River in Johnsburg during a police operation on Friday.

Dave Harwood, battalion chief of the McHenry Township Fire Protection District, said Johnsburg police called firefighters to the scene of the fire on River Terrace Drive around 3:30 p.m. Friday, but by the time firefighters arrived, the man had already been pulled from the water.

Johnsburg police did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

Chris Altman lives on the river and said he was working at home when he saw a head in the water Friday afternoon.

Altman said it was raining when he went outside and saw police officers standing on his neighbor’s pier trying to get the person, who he described as an older teenager, out of the water.

Altman said a neighbor and police got into a life raft. It appeared the young man tried to elude the police, although he eventually got into the life raft, Altman said.

Altman said he asked the young man if he could swim and he said yes.

Altman added that he would have jumped into his boat immediately if necessary.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office was also called to the scene to assist with a water rescue, but the person was “quickly brought to safety and we aborted our operation,” said Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli.