Boy Rescued from Freezing Des Plaines River

The quick action of an off-duty police officer may be responsible for saving the life of a boy that fell or jumped into the Des Plaines River on Tuesday afternoon.

The Des Plaines Fire Department responded to a report of a child that ran across Miner Street and jumped into the Des Plaines River near the dam at Joseph Schwab Road at 3:38 p.m. on March 5. When they arrived on the scene, Des Plaines firefighters found a seven-year-old boy who had jumped or fallen in the river.

“An off-duty Evanston police officer saw the boy go in the river, and entered the water to retrieve the boy, saving his life,” Wax stated.

Both were out of the water when the Des Plaines Fire Department arrived, Wax stated, and the boy was taken to Lutheran General Hospital in good condition.

The Des Plaines Fire Department responded to a number of calls during the snowstorm on Tuesday.

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