What started as a day of fun on Lake Michigan turned tragic on Tuesday when a man who jumped from a boat to help a group of kids struggling in the water near Elder Lane Beach in Winnetka drowned, authorities said.

“It’s tragic,” Winnetka Fire Chief John Ripka said Wednesday.

He said Winnetka firefighters received a 911 call about 1:20 p.m. Tuesday that an unconscious man had been pulled from the lake. He said when rescuers arrived at Elder Beach in the 200 block of Sheridan Road a boat was arriving at the shore with the man onboard and that others in the boat were performing CPR on him.

Ripka said Winnetka EMTs continued CPR and rushed the man, identified by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office as Luke Laidley, 43, of Winnetka, to Evanston Hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Ripka said Laidley was in a boat with a group of other people about 100 feet from shore when they saw a group of children in inner tubes who appeared to be struggling in the water. Laidley jumped in to give assistance but disappeared under the surface, said Ripka. He said Laidley was in the water for about a minute before he was pulled back on the board and rushed to shore.

He said it is unclear if Laidley experienced some kind of medical emergency when he jumped into the water or drowned.

Ripka also said Laidley was not wearing a life jacket.

“We strongly encourage anyone out on the lake to wear preservers,” he said.

Freelance reporter Jon Kerr, who previously worked with Pioneer Press, said he met Laidley while Kerr was writing a book about the Carmel Catholic High School football team. Laidley was a volunteer coach at the Mundelein school.

“We became friends as we would strike up conversations at practice,” Kerr said. “We talked about football and spirituality. We talked about his upbringing and why he chose to go to Carmel.”

Kerr said both he and Laidley were raised Catholic and shared a lot due to their similar upbringing.

“He cared deeply about his players,” Kerr said. “That is the private school ethos with giving back. So he saw coaching as a way of giving back and expressing gratitude for all that Carmel gave to him.”

Kerr said he last heard from Laidley a couple of years ago when they exchanged emails during the pandemic.

“He was concerned that athletes weren’t able to participate at that time and kids not being able to get outside,” Kerr said. “He was so concerned not only for his own kids, but everybody’s kids.”

Former Carmel High School Coach Andy Bitto said he knew Laidley all four years Laidley attended Carmel, including his senior year when Bitto was the head coach.

“The world has lost an awesome person,” Bitto said, adding that he and his wife were up crying all Monday night after they got the news.

Bitto said many members of the Laidley family attended Carmel High School and Bitto played linebacker there.

Laidley later asked Bitto about doing some volunteer coaching at Carmel, which he tied into Laidley’s experience on 9/11.

In an interview with Kerr from years prior, Laidley explained he was in the south tower that day — 22 years old on his second day in New York City working at Morgan Stanley offices at the World Trade Center — and had just finished a meeting on the 61st floor. A security guard ran in and began evacuating the building, telling people that a plane had just hit the north tower.

“It makes you re-evaluate your life,” Bitto said. “I think he still did finance stuff but he wanted to give back to his community. He came to me and asked me if he could coach.”

Bitto believed he coached for two or three years at Carmel before taking a similar position at Loyola Academy, as Laidley moved to Winnetka.

“He always had a smile,” Bitto said. “If you dodge 9/11, you are just so happy to be around.”

Laidley said Bitto sent him pictures of his children and Bitto felt like an uncle to him.

“He was always so positive and giving other people time,” Bitto said.

After retiring, Bitto and his wife moved to Franklin, Tennessee and — by coincidence — Laidley’s sister lives close by. Bitto said they all got together for a barbecue in March. Previously he had seen him last September when Bitto was inducted into the Carmel Hall of Fame.

Bitto said they lived across the street from Laidley’s mother.

“I think he was a very spiritual person and somehow God was working through him to make other people feel they were the most important people in the room,” Bitto said.

After moving to Winnetka, Laidley was a volunteer coach at Wilmette’s Loyola Academy, a high school spokeswoman said Thursday.

Winnetka Village President Chris Rintz expressed his sympathies for the Laidley family during the July 6 Village Trustees meeting.

“Our hearts go out to the Laidley family,” he said. “It’s just one of those sad things that happens in a community and he was well known by many. He was a football coach, very active individual in the community. It really hurts when you lose somebody like that.”

Anthony Gallegos, a lieutenant with the U.S. Coast Guard, said the easiest way to help someone in distress on the water is to have the radio tuned to channel 16 to quickly alert officials of the danger. The channel is monitored for distress signals and more reliable than cellphone location services.

He also said to toss flotation devices to struggling swimmers to give them a chance to stay afloat without direct assistance.

“Before you can help someone you need to be able to keep yourself safe,” Gallegos said. “Stay on scene and throw them a line if possible. Do whatever you need to do while keeping yourself safe.”

This story is developing. Check back for updates.

Brian L. Cox and Daniel I. Dorfman are freelance reporters with Pioneer Press.