On November 5, 2013 shortly before 1:00 p.m., a private helicopter reported that a passenger fell from the aircraft, which was flying near the Balboa Pier. HB1 (the Huntington Beach Police Department helicopter) notified the Newport Beach Police Communications Center of the incident at 1:00 p.m.
HB1 initiated a search and was able to direct Newport Beach Lifeguards and Orange County Sheriff’s Department Harbor Patrol personnel to the passenger’s location in the ocean. Lifeguards brought the man to shore and initiated lifesaving efforts. Newport Beach Fire Department medics transported the man, who was in critical condition, to a local hospital, where he succumbed to the injuries sustained as a result of his fall.
The victim is a 60-year-old Caucasian male; his identity is being withheld pending notification of family by the Orange County Coroner’s Office. The incident is being investigated as a possible suicide.
