Body of Costa Mesa man pulled from ocean

Alex Coolman

CRYSTAL COVE STATE PARK -- The body of a 70-year-old Costa Mesa man

washed up on the shore in front of the El Morro Village mobile home park

Wednesday afternoon, turning a beautiful day at the beach into something

more macabre and mysterious.

Deputy Joseph Luckey of the Orange County Coroner’s office said the

man was from Costa Mesa, but that no other information was available late

Wednesday.

Authorities have not released the identity of the man pending

notification of family members. He was found wearing shorts, a T-shirt

and socks, but no shoes.

The cause of death has not been determined, said Michael Eaton, a

supervising state park ranger. An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted

today.

Beachgoers noticed the body of the man floating in the water at about

12:15 p.m., Eaton said. State park lifeguards and paramedics pulled the

man from the ocean and performed CPR, but he could not be revived.

The man’s death follows a series of gruesome incidents at local

beaches. This summer has already seen two drownings off Newport Beach and

a number of close calls for swimmers caught in rip currents.

Eleven-year-old Hunter Vroman, who was visiting Crystal Cove with his

family from Oregon on Wednesday, saw the latest victim pulled in from the

water.

It appeared, the youngster said, that the man had been floating in the

shallow surf for some time.

It was unclear Wednesday where or when the victim entered the ocean.

No witnesses saw him enter the water, and Vroman thought he might have

floated to the beach from some other location.

Eaton noted that the waves and currents at the beach did not appear to

be threatening.

“There’s no surf to speak of,” he said. “No riptides observed.”