Off-duty Chicago police sergeant helps rescue 4 people from sinking boat near 31st Street Harbor
Coast Guard crews raise boat from water Wednesday morning
CHICAGO (WLS) -- An off-duty Chicago police sergeant spoke exclusively with ABC7 after helping rescue four people from a sinking boat on Lake Michigan after spotting a distress signal through dense fog over the weekend.
Sgt. Christoria King said she was on a holiday boating retreat late Saturday night when she noticed a flickering light in the distance amid heavy fog near 31st Street Harbor and Beach.
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"The fog was so thick, you could not see in front of you," King said.
Despite the limited visibility, King said a call for help carried across the water.
"I saw the flickering light again, and I'm, like, 'Somebody's in distress,'" she said.
King and others aboard her boat, the Black Pearl, moved closer to investigate. What they found was a boat partially submerged in the water with four people clinging to it.
"We saw the boat halfway under the water. And we can hear them screaming for life and death. They're saying, 'Please don't let us die. Please help us,'" King said.
"You can see the boat sinking and the front part of the boat is sticking up out of the water, and they're all clinging on to it, at that point," she said.
According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the pleasure craft sank overnight Sunday during heavy fog and rain when its pumps could not keep up with the water entering the boat. The four people aboard were all wearing life vests and were left clinging to the vessel.
King said she threw a life ring toward the boaters to help them reach safety.
"And I threw the life ring out. It took me a couple times. About the third time I was able to get it further enough for them to grab on. They had to jump off and swim to it," she said.
On Wednesday, Chopper 7 was above the sunken vessel outside the 31st Street Harbor Marina as Coast Guard crews worked to recover and tow it away.
King described the rescue as difficult and emotional.
"It was a very traumatic experience," she said.
She added, "I just thank God we were able to be at the right place at the right time."
The Coast Guard said all four people were rescued safely and no injuries were reported.
