Local News in Brief : Autopsy Set in Death of Northridge Swimmer
An autopsy will be conducted to determine why a Northridge man died while swimming in Descanso Bay off Catalina Island, authorities said Monday.
The man, William Bruce, 43, and a group of friends were preparing a 32-foot sailboat for a return trip to the mainland about 12:45 p.m. Sunday when Bruce dived into the water to retrieve a drifting dinghy, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Dave Logan.
Bruce had swum about 100 feet when he abruptly stopped about five feet short of the dinghy and began to float face down in the water, Logan said. People on another boat pulled Bruce out of the water. He was pronounced dead at nearby Avalon Municipal Hospital when efforts to resuscitate him failed, authorities said.
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