Currents Pull Beach Visitor to His Death
An out-of-town man visiting the beach with friends apparently drowned Friday afternoon when he was swept into deep water by strong ocean currents, police said.
Vasile Chiricea, 34, of Portland, Ore., was escorting a group of children along the shoreline about 2:30 p.m. “when he gradually went into deeper water and was apparently taken further out by a riptide,” said Huntington Beach Police Lt. Patrick Gildea.
Chiricea’s friends saw he was in trouble and notified lifeguards at the city beach. He was pulled out of the water and was pronounced dead at 3:40 p.m. at Pacifica Community Hospital.
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