A man is dead after he was pulled from the ocean between Long Beach and Catalina Island on Sunday evening. The victim has been identified as 20-year-old Jean Carlos Cheryl.
Early that day, Cheryl left Long Beach with a group of Jet Skiers. They were headed for Catalina Island. By 11 a.m., however, he was missing. A friend of the victim called officials to report that he hadn’t made it to Catalina with the group.
#MarineIC : @lbfd @USCG @SEBLASD @LACOFD @OCFA_PIO @LBPD @LACoLifeguards and Long Beach Lifeguards respond to a report of a missing PWC rider 5 miles off Long Beach between the mainland and Catalina earlier today. Search efforts are ongoing. Details to follow.
— LACoFD Lifeguards (@LACoLifeguards) February 11, 2019
When authorities were alerted to his disappearance, they kicked off a massive search, using helicopters and boats to comb the area. At around 2 p.m., they found his jet ski. Cheryl, unfortunately, was nowhere to be found.
Nearly eight hours after he was first reported missing, rescuers located him. According to reports, at 7:50 p.m., they found him floating eight nautical miles southeast of the Long Beach Lighthouse. He was in critical condition. From there, he was airlifted from the sea and taken to Long Beach Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Cheryl’s cause of death has not yet been announced.
