Body found off Newport Beach; authorities unsure whether man was missing teenage swimmer

Authorities in Newport Beach recovered the body of an unidentified man offshore Tuesday who they suspect died while swimming.

It’s unclear whether the body is that of a missing 18-year-old man who was last seen near the Newport Pier on July 1.

“Until [Orange County Sheriff’s Department officials] investigate it and confirm, we just do not know yet,” said Newport Beach lifeguard Battalion Chief Brian O’Rourke.

The person was determined to be an adult male wearing swimming clothes, according to Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun.

Authorities believe the man had been in the water before he died, Braun said. There were no signs of traumatic or external injuries, she added.

“The condition suggested that it had been in the water for a significant amount of time,” Braun said.

An autopsy is expected within the next few days, she said.

Lifeguards received a report at 8:43 a.m. of a body in the ocean off 28th Street, according to O’Rourke. The sighting was called in from a helicopter traveling over the area, he said.

A Sheriff’s Department helicopter crew responded and found the body about 300 feet offshore between 24th and 28th streets, O’Rourke said.

Two sheriff’s Harbor Patrol vessels were dispatched to recover the body with assistance from Newport lifeguards, O’Rourke said.

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