Former Laguna Beach Police Officer ID'd In OC Helicopter Crash

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — A Huntington Beach police officer who died in a crash Saturday evening was publicly identified on Sunday morning.

Nicholas Vella, 44, was rushed to a hospital but died of his injuries, according to Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra. Vella was a 14-year veteran of the department and previously served with the Laguna Beach Police Department for two years. He leaves behind a wife and daughter.

On Sunday afternoon, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement on the officer's death.

"Jennifer and I are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Officer Vella. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and the entire Huntington Beach Police Department. Officer Vella’s bravery and commitment to protecting his community will not be forgotten," Newsom wrote.

Parra announced at a 10 p.m. news conference on Saturday that Vella died from his injuries and said he was "truly dedicated to his job who loved what he was doing."

Vella and another officer were on their way to respond to a "disturbance/fight call" on Saturday evening when the helicopter lost altitude and crashed into Newport Bay near the shore by 18th Street.

READ MORE: 'Tragedy': Police Officer Dead In Newport Beach Helicopter Crash

The second officer aboard the helicopter, who is 50 and a 16-year veteran of the department, was hospitalized but later released, the department tweeted Sunday.

"This is a difficult night for all of us," Parra said, "and I would ask for your prayers and your support as we support our officer's family and as we continue to grieve through this."

It wasn't immediately clear if Vella was flying the chopper when it went down. His position was listed as "air support" on the city of Huntington Beach's website.

"We lost an officer that was truly dedicated to his job, that was doing what he loved doing," the chief said, while fighting back tears.

Huntington Beach Mayor Barbara Delgleize called the crash "heartbreaking" for the entire city.

"Our community values our police department and the loss of an officer hits us all really hard," Delgleize said during the news conference. "This tragic accident serves as a reminder of the danger and the risk that our police officers put themselves in on a daily basis to protect our community."

Vella was honored with a midnight procession of law enforcement officers escorting his body to the coroner's office.

The Federal Aviation Administration told Patch that Vella and the other officer were the only two people aboard the McDonnell Douglas 500N helicopter when it crashed.

"We can confirm that our police helicopter, HB1, crash landed in the Newport Beach area," the Huntington Beach Police Department tweeted at 7:20 p.m. "Rescue efforts are underway & more information will be released when available."

The HBPD website described the helicopter as an air support unit. "We operate three MD 520N series turbine-powered helicopters out of our facility. The air support unit currently provides support under contract for the city of Newport Beach and the city of Costa Mesa."

Parra said the remaining aircraft will not be flown until they are inspected. The aircraft have a regular maintenance schedule.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Orange County sheriff's Major Accident Investigation Team will investigate the crash, he said.

— City News Service contributed to this report.