The man, a Latino perhaps in his early 30s, has yet to be identified by authorities. Photo: Screenshot/Huntington Beach Independent
**This story has been updated**
A man’s body was found floating in the water at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach Tuesday morning, reports the Huntington Beach Independent.
Paramedics responded to an 11:20 AM call, reports the Orange County Register, after local surfer Shane Jones pulled the unclothed man out of the water. When Jones first saw it he recalled thinking, “That’s a body. No way. Crazy…Oh my God, that’s a body,” he told the Register.
A junior lifeguard as a kid, Jones said everything was instinctual the moment he swam toward the body. He tapped the head three times with no response. He then decided he had to get to shore, which was a challenge. Jones estimates the man weighed about 300 pounds. He managed to put the man on his board and wrestle his way to shore.
Bystanders then attempted CPR, but when they arrived authorities were able to determine the man had been dead for at least an hour.
The body showed no signs of trauma, and the man did not match the description of any missing persons or swimmers reported in Huntington Beach. There is an ongoing investigation by the California Department of Parks and Recreations to look for missing persons reports in neighboring cities.
The man was not carrying any identification, but authorities describe him as a Latino, maybe in his early 30s.
Editor’s Note: We will continue to update this story as additional details become available.
