NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a lifeguard has drowned while trying to rescue a swimmer off a Southern California beach.
Newport Beach Fire Department Chief Scott Poster says 32-year-old Ben Carlson went into the water Sunday afternoon to help a swimmer in distress. He went under water, prompting an intense ocean search.
Fellow lifeguards found Carlson’s body around 8 p.m. Poster said the swimmer he was saving made it to shore safely.
The National Weather Service issued a coastal hazard warning of dangerous rip currents and high surf along Southern California beaches. The weather service said some beaches saw up to 8-feet high surf.
Los Angeles County firefighters rescued a 25-year-old man who was caught in the waves off Rancho Palos Verdes and high tide breached a sand berm in Long Beach.
