Police Know ID of Pier Jumper

Hermosa Beach Police believe they know the identity of the male who allegedly jumped off the Hermosa Beach Pier late last month, launching a massive nighttime search, said HBPD Detective Mark Gaglia. 

The search included a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, Los Angeles County lifeguards and HBPD. The mid-20s male wearing board shorts was seen scaling the pier's locked fence sometime the night of Sunday, July 29. 

After jumping off the pier, reportedly, the male made it to shore more or less unscathed, according to Capt. Tom Seth with the L.A. County Lifeguard division, who said an employee at the nearby Baja Sharkeez spoke with a man who was wet, wearing board shorts, and said he had just jumped off the pier. The man then left.

Once the initial description of the fence climber was matched to the employee's authorities called off the search.

Gaglia said a friend or ex-roommate of the man told police he was OK, that he was having relationship issues and that he didn't want to relay anything. The man is not considered missing.

The fence to the HB Pier is closed from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. If it is scaled, police may issue a citation or give a warning. Gaglia said people do not typically try to climb over the fence.

"It's not a really a fence that people want to scale," he said, saying that the fence is there mostly for safety purposes. "We don't want people falling into the water... there are rip tides..." 

Gaglia said if someone jumps or falls into the ocean from the pier, lifeguards will pick them up using their boat or help them make it to shore.

Pier jumpers usually receive citations, said Gaglia, but will be arrested if they appear to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

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