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Mostly Cloudy Five pulled from rough surf on Memorial Day
Long Beach rescuers save distressed swimmers; police officer ensnared in fishing line
Long Beach lifeguards, firefighters and police officers rescued five people from the ocean during three separate incidents on Memorial Day, including one involving a woman who was possibly attempting suicide and another involving two people out for a late-night swim.
The first incident occurred just after 6 p.m., when a man jogging along the beach at Long Beach Blvd. noticed a woman in distress in the water near the Monroe Blvd. jetty. The man, a Long Beach resident who was not identified, ran into the ocean to save the woman, officials said. During his rescue attempt, however, he became caught in a rip current, said Chief of Lifeguards Paul Gillespie.
Though the incident occurred after the beaches closed for the day, Gillespie added that a lifeguard crew remained on call at Lifeguard Headquarters following a busy beach day, where temperatures reached the 80s.
“We got a call and we went right down there … a guy got caught in the rip and got sucked out with the girl,” Gillespie said. “During the first [incident], they both would have probably drowned … he made a great effort to bring the girl in, but he became a victim of exhaustion.”
Long Beach firefighters also responded to the scene and assisted with the rescue, and both victims were taken to Long Beach Medical Center. Sources involved with the rescue said that while both victims took on water, they were conscious after the ordeal and are expected to be OK.
Gillespie said that the woman, whose name was not released, is in her early 20s and was intoxicated. She later told police that she had recently gone through a break up with her boyfriend, Gillespie said.
“She told the police later on that it was a suicide attempt,” Gillespie said.
The second incident occurred near the same beach at around 8:20 p.m., Gillespie said. Sgt. Eric Cregeen, the Police Department’s public information officer, said that an 8-year-old boy and his uncle became caught in a rip current while swimming near the Long Beach Blvd. jetty, and police noticed the distressed swimmers while conducting a patrol of the beach.
