Search Resumes for Teen Swept into the Sea

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OC Lifeguards return to the southern end of Thousand Steps Beach to look for a teen swept from the rocks Sunday, Feb. 8.
OC Lifeguards return to the southern end of Thousand Steps Beach to look for a teen swept from the rocks Sunday, Feb. 8.

Rescuers resume their search today for an 18-year-old Nevada high school student, who was swept from the rocks Sunday afternoon at Thousand Steps Beach by a strong west swell.

On Monday, four OC Lifeguards returned to the area known as The Caves, a rocky point on the south end of a crescent cove,  along with a Harbor Patrol boat, said OC Fire Authority spokesman Capt. Steve Concialdi. A Coast Guard helicopter also searched the area throughout the morning, he said.

The young man, identified by his family as Anthony Parnell, a football player at Centennial High School in Las Vegas, and three friends were making their way across a rock outcropping at high tide about 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 8, when they were struck by a large wave and one of the group was swept into the water, Concialdi said.

Waves that wash over these rocks drain toward a blowhole and on Sunday were forceful enough to drag the young man in, said OC Lifeguard Capt. Jason Young, describing what witnesses recalled.

“A rogue wave can easily sweep someone away,” Concialdi said.

An extensive search by air and sea and on shore of over three

An OC Lifeguard on a water craft resumes the search for a missing Las Vegas teen.
An OC Lifeguard on a water craft resumes the search for a missing Las Vegas teen.

hours on Sunday disbanded at nightfall, Concialdi said. “Every minute counts. We try to send as many resources as possible,” he said.

Wave conditions improved some for rescuers on Monday, who had contended with pounding five to eight foot sets on Sunday, Concialdi said.

Parnell and three friends, all from Las Vegas, were visiting the area for the weekend, Concialdi said. “It’s a dangerous area, best observed from a safe distance,” he said.

 

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