Surfer, Guard Save Man Who Leaped Off Pier
A young surfer and a lifeguard were credited by police Friday with saving the life of a man who struggled to stay afloat after he jumped from the Huntington Beach Pier.
Jason Redford, 24, of Fullerton jumped into the ocean fully clothed and was barely able to stay afloat, said William Mamelli, a Huntington Beach police spokesman.
Spectators on the pier shouted for help, and their screams and yells were heard by Jerry Allen Cleland, 16, who was surfing east of the pier.
Mamelli said Cleland also noticed people pointing to something on the pier’s west side and saw Redford struggling in the water.
Cleland paddled about 75 feet through the pier’s barnacle-encrusted pilings to get to Redford.
Seconds after Cleland reached Redford, Marine Safety Officer John Barth arrived and quickly dove from the pier. He and Cleland pulled Redford to shore.
According to witnesses, Redford was unable to swim to shore and was clearly in trouble, Mamelli said.
“That man was saved thanks to the acts of Cleland and Barth,” Mamelli said.
Redford, who was rescued from the 62-degree water, was uninjured but taken to Pacifica Hospital for observation.
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