Sheriff’s divers, helicopters and boats continued a search today for a young man believed to have drowned off Rancho Palos Verdes after getting into trouble while cliff jumping, authorities said.
Joseph Sanchez, 18, of Long Beach got into trouble in the surging waters near Inspiration Point yesterday and was pulled onto some rocks by a friend, Toogee Zepeda, who then went to find help. But Sanchez was nowhere to be found when a search operation began about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“Our divers began making dives at daybreak and will continue until sundown,” sheriff’s spokeswoman Nicole Nishida said this morning. “We also have several helicopters and six boats that are patrolling the surf along the shore.”
Nishida said the focus of the search will be the area where the man was last seen in the water. Nishida also said that overnight, department boats patrolled the nearby coast looking for Sanchez.
Divers also spent nearly eight hours on Thursday searching for him.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, several other rescues occurred in the same general area, where jumping into a tidal pool known as Sacred Cove is popular.
Today’s search was being done by divers from the Sheriff’s Emergency Services Bureau, which is part of the Special Enforcement Bureau, Nishida said.
Public access to the area, including Inspiration Point and Portuguese Point, was restricted until sundown Sunday, the Los Angeles County Fire Department announced.
