A man’s jump to save his fraught sister off the Huntington Beach pier over the weekend proved fatal. HE has now been identified by officials as 43-year-old Fenton Auston Dee III of Norwalk.
According to a witness who testified on Wednesday, Dee had jumped in to help a woman who also had jumped in the water and appeared to be struggling. Both jumped around 6:30 p.m. on October 23, according to Jennifer Carey, spokeswoman for Huntington Beach.
Surfers pulled the two to shore, Carey said. Following that personnel of Huntington Beach Marine Safety and firefighters did treatment on Dee and took him to the hospital, but he did not survive.
The woman was left uninjured.
One surfer told Fox Los Angeles the woman and man were siblings.
43-year-old Edmundo Alarcon of Hollywood happened to be at the pier with his friend enjoying the sunset, walking back to the shore when he first noticed that a woman was dangling off the pier’s side and shouting she wanted to jump. Behind her was a man who appeared concerned.
“He didn’t tell her no, but he was really hesitant and then she was too and decided ‘I don’t want to go,’” said Alarcon. “At that point, she let go of the rail and went into the water.”
According to Alarcon, the current took her towards the pylons underneath.
“And that’s when he jumped,” he said. “My friend told me to look over. It looked like he was okay, he was swimming afterwards and the surfers got to them.”
Landon Holman said he was surfing nearby at the time, and told the station later that the siblings had asked whether jumping in was okay.
“We’re kind of bantering back and forth,” he told the station, “but I said no, it’s not a good idea to jump, not only will you get in trouble, but it’s very dangerous in these waters if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
After the two jumped into the water, “immediately they knew they made the wrong decision,” Holman said. They screamed for help while he swam over, eventually grabbing for his board. He took the woman to shore and another surfer moved to help Dee.
Holman returned to assist Dee, who he said was unresponsive by the time the surfers got to him. Once they’d reached the shore, he tried giving CPR while waiting for Marine Safety officials.
Alarcon said he didn’t see a problem until multiple police vehicles and fire engines came up on shore.
“It was weird because it looked like everything was fine and in a matter of minutes, it was not,” he said. Alarcon found out on Monday that Dee had died.
Officials have yet to identify the surviving woman, as well as to confirm she is Dee’s sister.
The part of the pier from which the sibling jumped in lines up along a stretch without shops and restaurants.
Holman said at the station that he wished to spread awareness regarding jumping off the pier, which the city has strictly prohibited.
“The ocean conditions are constantly changing based on the tides, surf conditions and time of the year,” said chief of Marine Safety Division Eric Dieterman in a statement. “Due to these changing conditions, and the 40-45 foot pier height, pier jumping is prohibited.”
A man’s jump to save his fraught sister off the Huntington Beach pier over the weekend proved fatal. HE has now been identified by officials as 43-year-old Fenton Auston Dee III of Norwalk.
According to a witness who testified on Wednesday, Dee had jumped in to help a woman who also had jumped in the water and appeared to be struggling. Both jumped around 6:30 p.m. on October 23, according to Jennifer Carey, spokeswoman for Huntington Beach.
Surfers pulled the two to shore, Carey said. Following that personnel of Huntington Beach Marine Safety and firefighters did treatment on Dee and took him to the hospital, but he did not survive.
The woman was left uninjured.
One surfer told Fox Los Angeles the woman and man were siblings.
43-year-old Edmundo Alarcon of Hollywood happened to be at the pier with his friend enjoying the sunset, walking back to the shore when he first noticed that a woman was dangling off the pier’s side and shouting she wanted to jump. Behind her was a man who appeared concerned.
“He didn’t tell her no, but he was really hesitant and then she was too and decided ‘I don’t want to go,’” said Alarcon. “At that point, she let go of the rail and went into the water.”
According to Alarcon, the current took her towards the pylons underneath.
“And that’s when he jumped,” he said. “My friend told me to look over. It looked like he was okay, he was swimming afterwards and the surfers got to them.”
Landon Holman said he was surfing nearby at the time, and told the station later that the siblings had asked whether jumping in was okay.
“We’re kind of bantering back and forth,” he told the station, “but I said no, it’s not a good idea to jump, not only will you get in trouble, but it’s very dangerous in these waters if you don’t know what you’re doing.”
After the two jumped into the water, “immediately they knew they made the wrong decision,” Holman said. They screamed for help while he swam over, eventually grabbing for his board. He took the woman to shore and another surfer moved to help Dee.
Holman returned to assist Dee, who he said was unresponsive by the time the surfers got to him. Once they’d reached the shore, he tried giving CPR while waiting for Marine Safety officials.
Alarcon said he didn’t see a problem until multiple police vehicles and fire engines came up on shore.
“It was weird because it looked like everything was fine and in a matter of minutes, it was not,” he said. Alarcon found out on Monday that Dee had died.
Officials have yet to identify the surviving woman, as well as to confirm she is Dee’s sister.
The part of the pier from which the sibling jumped in lines up along a stretch without shops and restaurants.
Holman said at the station that he wished to spread awareness regarding jumping off the pier, which the city has strictly prohibited.
“The ocean conditions are constantly changing based on the tides, surf conditions and time of the year,” said chief of Marine Safety Division Eric Dieterman in a statement. “Due to these changing conditions, and the 40-45 foot pier height, pier jumping is prohibited.”
