Coast Guard searches for missing swimmer off Manhattan Beach

A U.S. Coast Guard crew was combing the waters off Manhattan Beach late Tuesday and planned to continue through Wednesday morning, searching for a 25-year-old swimmer who was believed to have been swept into the sea.

The man was in the ocean near tower 18 at Manhattan Beach on Tuesday about 5 p.m. when he was reported missing, Coast Guard Petty Officer Andrea Anderson said.

The man, who could swim, was with friends who told authorities they lost sight of him when he was about 50 yards into the water, Los Angeles County Fire Department lifeguard specialist Lidia Barillas told KTLA-TV.

A massive search quickly got underway, with helicopter crews, divers and lifeguards combing the water. Lifeguards from Redondo Beach and crews from the L.A. County Fire Department joined the effort.

Friends and family, who waited onshore as the search dragged on, identified the man as D.J. Jeffries of Hawthorne, KCBS-TV Channel 2 reported.

The underwater search was suspended shortly before 9 p.m. and was expected to resume at sunrise. At least one Coast Guard ship was to continue searching overnight, Anderson said.

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