A needless death after two jump off pier in apparent ill-considered escapade
Good morning. It’s Wednesday, Oct. 26. I’m Carol Cormaci, bringing you today’s TimesOC newsletter with the latest roundup of news and events.
The video passerby Edmundo Alarcon shot Sunday night when he happened upon a man and a woman contemplating what appeared to be something of a lark, a 40-foot jump off the Huntington Beach Pier, tells in a vivid way just some of the story.
Alarcon offered the video and stills taken from it to the Daily Pilot Monday morning. It stunned those of us who, after having reported online that a man died in the escapade, were seeing actual footage of a tragedy as it unfolded.
We saw images of the man, who had been identified by the coroner’s office as 44-year-old Fenton Dee III of Norwalk, apparently shouting at his companion. He seems shocked to watch her falling toward the water. Then we see Dee himself jumping in after her. There’s a big splash after he lands. Surfers swarm the two, trying to help.
On Tuesday, we learned more. Dee’s companion identified herself to her surfer/rescuer Landon Holman as “Heather,” and said she was Dee’s sister.
Holman, 27, told our reporter Sara Cardine, who was assigned to the story, that he first saw the duo up on the pier on the brink of making the leap.
The surfer, in the water at the time, was alarmed at the scene playing out above him. He told Cardine the ocean’s current was strong and the waves were reaching up to 8 feet in height, not good conditions for anyone but the strongest of swimmers.
“They yelled down to us, ‘Hey, is it OK if we jump? Will we get in trouble?” Holman said, recounting how he warned them it was illegal, and dangerous besides. “Unfortunately, there were other surfers in the water who were instigating them.”
Holman told the Daily Pilot that “Heather” began removing some articles of clothing and then, after losing her nerve a time or two and slipping at one point, she jumped. Shortly afterward, Dee jumped over the railing, according to Holman.
“They were both screaming frantically for help,” Holman said. “I got there pretty quickly — they were both grasping onto my board. There was no way I was going to be able to save them both.”
Cardine continues Holman’s narrative: “A second surfer approached Dee, while Holman took Heather to shore, instructing her to hold her breath as they were pummeled by waves and pulled by the currents. As soon as she was safe on land, he went back out to assist the other surfer, who’d become separated from Dee.”
“When we got to him in the water, he was unresponsive,” Holman told the reporter.
It was a chilling end to what appeared to have started out merely as an ill-considered escapade.
Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, told Cardine Monday the coroner’s office planned to conduct an autopsy, including a toxicology report, on Dee’s body. Perhaps that will reveal some of the “why” behind a needless death, but in the scheme of things it doesn’t really matter, does it?
You can read the full story here.
MORE NEWS
— Six birds in Orange County have tested positive for avian flu, according to the county’s Health Care Agency. “Avian flu is present in Orange County and while the risk of transmission to humans is low, residents should stay away from any dead birds,” Dr. Regina Chinsio-Kwong, the county’s public health officer, said in a news advisory. “Bird flu is very contagious among birds and can sicken and even kill certain domesticated bird species including chickens, ducks and turkeys.”
— Some children’s hospitals are straining under a surge of RSV (respiratory syncytial virus), an illness that can cause babies to struggle to breathe, according to this news item by L.A. Times reporters Rong-Gong Lin II and Luke Money. The illness normally peaks in winter, and doctors say it’s unusual for there to be such high levels in October. Children’s Hospital of Orange County said its RSV cases tripled in the last three weeks.
— Former Anaheim mayor Harry Sidhu, who resigned in May in the midst of a corruption scandal involving the sale of Angel Stadium, has refused to publicly disclose emails and text messages from personal accounts he used to conduct city business, the L.A. Times reports this week. “In emails obtained by The Times, Sidhu’s criminal defense attorney claimed the former mayor’s past communications about city business on private devices were no longer public because he has resigned and invoked his client’s 5th Amendment right against self-incrimination,” write reporters Nathan Fenno, Gabriel San Román and Adam Elmahrek. Sidhu has not been charged with any crime and, through his attorney, has maintained his innocence.
— Patrols have been increased in the wake of at least 20 burglaries that have been committed in an upscale Huntington Beach neighborhood this year by a known South American gang, according to officials. Arrests have been made in connection with the burglaries in the Huntington Harbour area and charges have been filed, said Jennifer Carey, a city spokesperson. The suspects typically break into homes through rear entry points or through second-floor windows or doors, Carey said. Police believe they are a small group of burglars and not part of a larger organized criminal ring.
—The Orange County Fire Authority received nearly $17 million in state funding to build a new facility near fire-prone Trabuco Canyon to house its recently expanded hand crew, officials announced last week.
— A man punched a woman who was eight months pregnant in the stomach during a wild series of assaults in Tustin in which he also attacked an elderly woman and tried to steal a hospital security guard’s radio, police said. Sean Anthony Aguilera, a 28-year-old man from Orange, was arrested on various assault charges Friday evening after several 911 calls from witnesses to the alleged crimes, Tustin police said.
LIFE & LEISURE
— Honda Center, home of the Anaheim Ducks, is leveling up its culinary offerings at concession stands, restaurants and suites, according to this story by my TimesOC colleague Sarah Mosqueda. From chimichurri steak sandwiches to the temptations found at a sushi bar — and a host of other mouth-watering menu items in between — no one’s going home hungry after a visit to the stadium. Oh, and did I mention the craft cocktails? Who cares what’s happening on the ice?
— The Irvine Unified School District marked its 50th anniversary in a very big way earlier this month: As parents, teachers, administrators and community members assembled in the new Woodbridge High School Performing Arts Center for the annual State of the District address, Supt. Terry Walker accepted a $4-million check from the Irvine Co. and the Donald Bren Foundation. The gift is part of a 20-year, nearly $50-million commitment to the district, in the form of the Excellence in Education Enrichment Fund. The money is earmarked for arts, music and science education.
— Hundreds of Corona del Mar High School and Middle School alumni made their way to the campus Saturday to help celebrate its 60th anniversary and to witness the naming of its new track for legendary Sea Kings coach Bill Sumner. A daytime open house was followed in the evening by a concert at Newport Dunes. Between the ticket sales for both events, the CDM Foundation saw its Crown of the Sea endowment fund grow by about $1.3 million.
— Newport Beach resident Sophia Gazzaniga, who with her mother, Lisa, has been active in the local chapter of National Charity League for many years, is one of 20 girls nationwide who were selected for the National Ticktocker Advisory Council this school year. Gazzaniga, today a junior at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, began her NCL involvements in her chapter’s junior program when she was just in kindergarten.
SPORTS
— Petros Petrosyan, 59, a decorated wrestler on the world stage, is about to embark on a new adventure at Ocean View High in Huntington Beach, as he approaches his first season as the head coach of the Seahawks. Earlier this month, Petrosyan won the gold medal in the 88-kilogram freestyle division of the United World Wrestling Veterans World Championships in Bulgaria. It marked the second time he has won a title at the tournament.
— The Marina High School’s girls’ volleyball team are in the process of putting the decades-long struggle behind them after a straight-sets victory on Monday landed them a spot in the Division 5 quarterfinals. Senior outside hitter Dominique Vadeboncoeur had a match-high 14 kills to go with two service aces, as the Vikings dispatched of visiting Monrovia 25-10, 26-24, 25-18 in the second round at home.
CALENDAR THIS
— A production of “Love Among the Ruins” is set to hit the stage at Laguna Playhouse, with opening night scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. Starring JoBeth Williams and Peter Strauss, the play will run through Sunday, Nov. 13. Admission prices range from $50 to $75. To purchase tickets, visit lagunaplayhouse.com or call (949) 497-2787.
— Trick or treat at Anaheim Plaza will be held this Saturday, Oct. 29, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The two-hour free event will include raffles, an airbrush artist, balloon artist and kid-friendly DJ. The first 100 kids (12 and younger) who arrive dressed in costume will be given goodie bags at Anaheim Plaza Food Court, on North Euclid Street near the Santa Ana Freeway.
—Also in Anaheim on Saturday: Anaheim’s Fall Festival (you’ll find a map at that website) and Halloween Parade. This special event held in downtown Anaheim begins at 11 a.m., with the parade step-off time set for 7 p.m. from the intersection of Anaheim Boulevard and Broadway. Fun for the whole family with live entertainment, food, games and a Halloween costume contest with prizes. There’s even a costume contest for pets as part of the Fall Festival Howl-O-Ween Pooch Pawrade. The city’s cherished mascot, Andy Anaheim will lead the parade of nostalgic floats and performances.
KEEP IN TOUCH
If you have a memory or story about Orange County, I would love to read and share it in this space. Please try to keep your submission to 100 words or less and include your name and current city of residence.
I’d appreciate your help in making this the best newsletter it can be. Please send news tips, your memory of life in O.C., or comments to carol.cormaci@latimes.com.
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