Man Trying to Corral Dog Dies in Water Hazard

A man trying to retrieve his dog from a deep water hazard at an exclusive country club apparently drowned Tuesday night, despite a frantic effort by residents and firefighters to save him.

The man, identified by police as Harold Neuman, 60, of Newport Beach, apparently had jumped into the pond near the 15th hole at Big Canyon Country Club to stop his golden retriever from going after ducks, witnesses said.

Neuman, who according to residents lived in the neighborhood of luxury homes along the golf course, was found about 15 minutes later and rushed to Hoag Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly before 10 p.m.

Elizabeth Mangold, a resident whose house faces the golf course, had just returned home after shopping when the victim’s panicked wife knocked on her sliding glass door shortly after 8 p.m.

“She screamed, ‘Help, help, my husband has fallen into the lake,’ ” said Mangold, who added that she then dialed the 911 emergency number.

Several residents said they ran out to help Neuman after they heard his cries for help and the dog’s barking.

When firefighters arrived, they found several of the residents wading in the water, searching for the victim.

“I kept diving and looking, but the water was black and I couldn’t see,” said Roger Jones, whose home faces the golf course.

Firefighter Steve Carter and paramedic Mike Macey borrowed inflatable rafts from a resident and paddled out to the center of the lake to look for Neuman.

While they were in the water, a police helicopter circled and lit up the lake, which is about 200 yards long and 50 yards wide.

After about 15 minutes of searching, the victim was found in the center of the lake, about 50 yards offshore, where the water is about 16 feet deep, Newport Beach Fire Department Capt. Craig Chastain said.

When Neuman was brought to shore, he was in full cardiac arrest and not breathing, Chastain said.

Paramedics and city lifeguards attempted to resuscitate him as his wife and son looked on.

Chastain said the victim’s dog was not harmed.

“The last time I saw it, it was running loose” on the shoreline, barking at ducks, he said.

Times staff writer George Frank contributed to this report.