Unidentified Man Drowns Off Huntington State Beach
A swimmer believed to be in his early 20s was caught in a riptide off Huntington State Beach and drowned Thursday afternoon, officials said.
A fisherman saw the man struggling to stay afloat in 3- to 5-foot surf near the mouth of the Santa Ana River, authorities said. He had been wading in chest-high water when the rip current pulled him about 75 yards from the shore, said state lifeguard supervisor Lon Graham.
Lifeguards and a surfer pulled the man from the water, but he could not be resuscitated, Graham said.
The victim, an Asian man who was wearing yellow swimming trunks, was swimming alone and couldn’t be immediately identified. He wasn’t carrying identification and no clothes were found on the beach, Graham said.
“There were riptides in the area and he wasn’t a strong swimmer,” said Graham, who noted the area has an uneven bottom, sand bars and deep holes.
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