A man apparently drowned near the Oceanside Pier early Saturday, March 28, the city Fire Department reported.
Lifeguards found the man’s body in the water near Tower 12 at Oceanside Harbor Beach at about 10:50 a.m. after an earlier search before dawn based on a report that a man had been witnessed in the water near the pier around 4:30 a.m., according to the Fire Department’s report. Lifeguards attempted CPR on the unidentified man, who was then transported by Fire Department personnel to Tri-City Medical Center as resuscitation efforts continued.
The man was later declared dead and is believed to be the person originally spotted near the pier, the Fire Department stated.
The initial 4:30 a.m. witness report regarded a missing man who was last seen in the ocean just after 4 a.m. in the area of the pier, according to authorities. Oceanside lifeguards and police coordinated search efforts using pier vantage points, surveillance cameras and watercraft, but the search was suspended by about 5:30 a.m. after no one was found. The man’s body was then later spotted in the water near Oceanside Harbor Beach.
“The Oceanside Lifeguard Division reminds the public to exercise caution when entering the ocean, especially during early morning hours or when lifeguards are not actively monitoring the water,” the Fire Department’s report stated. “Always swim near an open lifeguard tower and avoid entering the water alone.”
