Retired CFD Firefighter, Brother of OL Trustee, Dies In Boat Accident

RACINE, WI — A recently retired Chicago firefighter died in a boating accident Thursday in Lake Michigan off the Wisconsin shoreline. The man was identified as 60-year-old Greg Olejniczak, brother of Oak Lawn Village Trustee Alex Olejniczak.

Around 4:45 p.m. Thursday, the Racine County Communications Center received a call about a sailboat that possibly crashed on a sandbar near the Wind Point lighthouse. The Racine County Sheriff’s Department, along with the US Coast Guard, found the unoccupied craft about 200 yards from shore with the motor running.

After a 3-hour search, Olejniczak was found two miles off the shore, unresponsive and wearing his personal flotation device. Resuscitation efforts were initiated while he was transported to shore by boat. The Racine Fire Department continued life-saving measures once on shore. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased.

The Racine County Sheriff’s Office investigation is ongoing. No foul play is suspected. Family member’s said they had last spoken to him around 2 p.m., where he was moving his boat from the Chicago area to Racine for the summer.

Olejniczak was an invited competitor of the Chicago Yacht Club’s Race to Mackinac. He grew up in Oak Lawn, where his family are long time members of St. Gerald Parish.