Boat capsizes near East Chicago Marina; 3 rescued, 1 missing in Lake Michigan

EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (WLS) -- Emergency crews have suspended a search for a person missing in Lake Michigan after their boat overturned near Northwest Indiana on Saturday.

Four men ranging from 19 to 50 were on the 16-foot pleasure boat when it capsized around 2:15 p.m. near the East Chicago Marina, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources

"It was a smaller boat, and I guess it started taking on water, and there was more water coming in than their pump could pump out, and it ended up capsizing," said Karl Samuel, East Chicago Marina Harbormaster.

With the help of a Chicago Fire Department helicopter, two of the men wearing life jackets were spotted in the water and rescued..

A third man was also later rescued after spending at least two hours in 50-degree waters.

"I saw them pull a kid onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. He looked like he was done, like out of it. I don't know if he was conscious or not. They had a blanket over him," said Ron Starr.

"They said that he was holding on to the seat cushion, and that's what he held on, and that's when they found him. He had been holding on to the seat cushion, so the seat cushion helped him," said Samuel.

Two people are being treated for hypothermia and a third is in critical condition, according to the Coast Guard said.

The identity of the missing person is being withheld pending family notification, according to DNR.

Conservation officers are being assisted on scene by the Lake County Sheriff's Department Marine Unit, the East Chicago and Whiting fire departments, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the Chicago Fire Department Aviation Unit.