Man dies after falling from paddleboard in Huntington Harbour
A 26-year-old man who fell off a paddleboard in Huntington Harbour died Tuesday afternoon soon after being pulled from the water, officials said.
Jose Mendoza of Lakewood was stand-up paddleboarding with a relative near the 16500 block of Channel Lane at about 3:30 p.m. when he fell off the board and did not resurface, authorities said.
Huntington Beach fire officials and lifeguards launched a search for Mendoza, but murky water presented a challenge for rescue crews, authorities said.
City News Service reported that Mendoza did not know how to swim.
After about a 25-minute search, Mendoza was pulled from the water in critical condition, lifeguards said.
He was treated by paramedics and taken to Hoag Hospital in Newport Beach, where he died shortly after 5 p.m. The cause of death hasn’t yet been determined, authorities said Wednesday.
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