Missing 'Playpen' boater search continues

A 58-year-old man fell into Lake Michigan Saturday afternoon between Oak Street and Ohio Street beaches.

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A number of speedboats and yachts near the beach in Lake Michigan, Chicago

The Playpen near the Oak Street and Ohio Street beaches has been the site of several serious accidents in recent years.

Sun-Times file

Crews continue to search for a boater who went missing Saturday in the Playpen near Oak Street Beach.

The 58-year-old fell off a boat and into Lake Michigan about 4:20 p.m. near the 1000 block of North Lake Shore Drive and didn’t resurface, Chicago police said.

Divers searched the area Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, and the investigation is still active, police said.

Tucked in an enclave between Oak Street and Ohio Street beaches, the Playpen is a popular party spot for boaters on summer weekends in Chicago. The location has experienced its share of high-profile incidents in recent years.

Last July, a woman was killed and six people were rescued when a boat hit a breakwall near the Playpen. In August 2022, a woman’s feet were severed in a boating accident.

A week after that incident a man’s body was pulled from the lake in the Playpen area.

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