Santa Ana Man, 23, Apparently Drowns
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A 23-year-old man apparently drowned near the Newport Pier early Thursday after leaving a prayer group to go for a swim, police said.
About 7:15 a.m., a fisherman alerted lifeguards to a man floating face down about 50 yards offshore. The Santa Ana man was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, where he died, Police Sgt. John Desmond said.
The man, whose name was withheld pending family notification, was a member of Victory Outreach, a nondenominational ministry known for its involvement in helping to rehabilitate ex-convicts.
The group had met near the pier at McFadden Place and West Ocean Front for a prayer meeting, police said.
The victim was playing and running on the beach with his friends before telling them that he wanted to cool off in the water, said investigators, who believe the man drowned.
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