The search has ended for a swimmer who went missing off the Newport Beach, California coast. As Fox 11 reports, a major search-and-rescue operation was concluded after the man was found on dry land Tuesday. What’s more, a local professional surfer had an unofficial update on where exactly the man was found.
The missing person was a 47-year-old man identified as Wesley Alan MacFarland. The U.S. Coast Guard was notified at approximately 7:45 a.m. on Monday, June 29 that MacFarland had gone missing in the vicinity of Newport Harbor – in the area of the Wedge.
Soon after, a large-scale search and rescue operation was mounted. Multiple agencies were involved, including boats and aircraft from the Coast Guard and the Orange County Sheriff’s department. Though the search would span the sea and air, MacFarland was ultimately found on dry land. On Tuesday morning, officials shared that MacFarland was found safe.
The Coast Guard did not share any further details, but Wedge aficionado Sage Burke provided an unofficial update on what went down. According to an Instagram post by the Newport-based surfer, rescuers searching for the man ultimately “found him chilling in his apartment.”
The rescue comes just weeks after a five-year-old was tragically killed after being swept out to sea in nearby Laguna Beach. Amid a major south swell that lit up the Southern California coast, a mother and her two children were swept into the ocean. Though the mother and one child were saved by bystanders, the daughter could not be reached, and her body was recovered days later.
