Newport Beach : Unpleasant Surprise Follows Pier Rescue

Kevin Richards, a 20-year-old drywall installer from Rialto, dived off Newport Pier on Sunday to rescue a man who fallen into the water--and came back to find that the wallet he left behind was gone.

Richards said he and his brother, James, and a few friends were fishing off the pier Sunday evening when they saw a man tumble into the water.

“We went to that side of the pier, and he was just floating upside down,” Richards said. “I wasn’t sure (if) he was playing or not. I thought to myself he was in the water too long. So I just went ahead and dove in.”

The man, Marcos Rodriguez of Santa Ana, age unavailable, was later reported in stable condition at Hoag Hospital by spokeswoman Laura Canby.

Richards said that when he reached Rodriguez, he flipped him over, his eyes opened and he began to breathe.

“I told him he was going to be OK,” Richards said.

By the time they got to shore, lifeguards were waiting, and attended to Rodriguez until paramedics arrived.

Then, as the crowd on the pier applauded him, Richards went for items he had left on the pier. But he found that one of his shoes had dropped into the ocean, and his wallet--which contained $50--was missing.