For Philip Mumm, a late night swim in Lake Mendota turned into a tragedy.

Mumm and several friends were on a sailboat early Saturday morning after being in Downtown Madison.

Mumm, 24, stripped down to boxers and jumped into the lake, according to the Wisconsin State Journal. Shortly after, he called out to friends for help but they were unable to reach him in time.

The Madison Fire Department responded to the drowning at 3:10 a.m. when a member on the boat called police with a cell phone. According to a release, the MFD responded with 16 personnel, a ladder, and scuba, engine and rescue companies.

The Madison Fire Department's lake rescue team and the Dane County Sheriff's lake rescue boat searched the lake until 4:30 a.m. They covered areas between Maple Bluff and the Memorial Union, according to a release.

The search is currently under control of the Dane County Sheriff's office. No body has yet been found.

Comment from the Dane County Sheriff's office was unavailable as of press time.

The sailboat was approximately 450 yards out from the UW shoreline when Mumm jumped in, the Wisconsin State Journal reported.

It is unclear how much alcohol played a factor in the drowning

"Police don't know extent of alcohol involvement," Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.

Drownings on Lake Mendota are not particularly common to Madison, but they do occur, he added.

"It's not something that happens every day; it's mostly random," Sgt. John Rife, MPD, said. "It happens though."

According to Verveer, there have not been recent incidents of drowning on Lake Mendota.

"There certainly is a fair amount of skinny dipping," Verveer said. "When you think about it, it's not the smartest decision in the world to jump into the lake when you've had a lot to drink."

With the water temperature at approximately 57 degrees on the surface, hypothermia can set in quickly at night. A combination of cold water and alcohol can have deadly affects on people near or on the water.

"There are tragic drownings [around the country], and it does seem like we're lucky here to not have the same thing happen more often," Verveer added.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, 19 boating fatalities occurred in Wisconsin in 2002 and 20 in 2003.

A UW-La Crosse student Jared Dion, fell into the Mississippi River, April 10, 2004, and drowned after leaving downtown bars. Alcohol and cold water played a role in Dion's death.