OXNARD : Coast Guard Halts Search for L. A. Man
The Coast Guard suspended its search Thursday for a Los Angeles man believed to have fallen off an 18-foot aluminum fishing boat that was found with its motor running about four miles south of Oxnard, authorities said.
Coast Guard officials identified the missing man as Michael A. Mochizuki, 44. Officials said Mochizuki borrowed the boat from a friend in Los Angeles and launched it early Wednesday from Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard with the intention of going out for about an hour of fishing.
Another boater discovered the small craft about 5 p.m. and towed it back to the harbor.
“There was fishing gear on board,” Petty Officer Scott Wasserman said.
Three Coast Guard helicopters, one from the Point Mugu Naval Air Station, and five boats searched a 126-square-mile area, and a Coast Guard cutter continued the search throughout the night without any sightings, Wasserman said. The search was halted at 7:30 a.m.
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