Man, 20, dies in jet ski jaunt to Catalina Island
Jean Carlos Cheryl was reported missing Sunday morning.
A 20-year-old man who went missing while riding a jet ski toward Santa Catalina Island died Sunday night after rescue crews pulled him from the ocean following an hours-long search.
The man, identified as Jean Carlos Cheryl, was listed in critical condition when crews found him in the waters off Long Beach about 7:45 p.m., according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Authorities had been searching for Cheryl since about 10:50 a.m., when his friend reported him missing. He was last seen in Long Beach about an hour earlier and was expected to arrive in Catalina Island later in the day, the Coast Guard said.
A helicopter crew found the red-and-white Yamaha jet ski that Cheryl had been riding about 2 p.m. near Long Beach, but he was not with the watercraft.
Officials found Cheryl hours later, pulled him from the water and f lew him to the Long Beach Airport.
He was taken to Long Beach Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.