A Huntington Beach police officer died and another officer was injured Saturday when their helicopter crash-landed near Lido Peninsula, Huntington Beach police said.
Officer Nicholas J. Vella, 44, was a 14-year veteran of the Department, Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra said, CBS Los Angeles reported. Vella was a former Laguna Beach police officer.
Vella is survived by a wife and daughter.
“He served the community of Huntington Beach with honor and dignity. Please join us in extending prayers to Officer Vella’s family,” Huntington Beach police said in a Tweet late Saturday.
The Orange County Fire Authority, Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and Anaheim Police Department dispatched their helicopters to assist with the rescue effort, according to aircraft tracker ADS-B Exchange. The 1998 Hughes 500 helicopter crashed near a beach on the southeast end of Lido Peninsula.
The Huntington Beach police air support crew, called HB1, provides mutual aid to the Laguna Beach Police Department and contracted air support to the Newport Beach Police Department.
Vella started as a civilian Beach Patrol Officer with the Laguna Beach Police Department, and after attending the police academy, became a full-time police officer in December 2003.
“[Nicholas Vella] was an exceptional officer and had a larger-than-life smile. After four years, he left the Laguna Beach Police Department and joined the Huntington Beach Police Department to pursue his dream of becoming a helicopter pilot,” Laguna Beach Police Chief Jeff Calvert said in a prepared statement Sunday. “He was loved by our team and the Laguna Beach community and will be missed.”
Darin Germaine, a Riverside County District Attorney’s Office senior investigator, started his law enforcement career with Vella at the Laguna Beach Police Department.
”He was an eager, fun-to-be-around officer and always quick with a smile in his youth. We enjoyed some great laughs together on the force before he moved on to bigger things at HBPD,” Germaine said Sunday.
They last worked together about two years ago when Vella appeared in HB1 over a fleeing motorcycle Germaine was pursuing. Vella was the primary reason Laguna Beach police caught the suspect.
”He was a good cop and a great guy who will be missed,” Germaine said.
Officer Brian Griep, president of the Laguna Beach Police Employees’ Association, remembers Vella as a cherished former member of the Laguna Beach Police Department and local police union.
”Nick proudly served the Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach communities and will forever be remembered for his kindness, dedication, and care for others. We mourn the loss of our brother and wish for peace for his family,” Griep said in a prepared statement Sunday.
Anytime the community loses a current or former Laguna Beach police officer it’s like losing a family member, Laguna Beach Mayor Sue Kempf said Sunday.
“Officer Vella was one of our own,” Kempf said. “We send our love and sympathy to his family and are here for their support. I know the Laguna Beach Police Department is understandably taking this very hard as many of our officers knew and worked with Officer Vella. We also send our condolences to the Huntington Beach Police Department and offer any assistance they may need.”
This story is developing and will be updated as necessary.
