Crime & Safety

Man, 53, Drowns In Ocean Over Weekend Near Wilder Ranch Park

First responders treated the man at the scene, but he was later transported to a hospital and pronounced dead.

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Susan C. Schena, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

A 53-year-old man drowned near Santa Cruz Saturday morning after falling into the ocean at Wilder Ranch State Park, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department.

The Santa Cruz County coroner’s office identified the man as Jenaro Mojica Manriquez, a resident of Modesto.

The incident was reported at about 9:40 a.m. Saturday. Santa Cruz Fire Battalion Chief Jason Hajduk said the incident occurred on state land but firefighters were called to Wilder Ranch to assist.

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“We had some of our rescue swimmers on our fire engines and they worked with State Parks to bring the victim out of the water,” Hajduk said.

First responders treated Manriquez at the scene, but he was later transported to a hospital and pronounced dead.

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“In the wintertime, especially when we have water like this, people get comfortable on the coastline,” Hajduk said. “It wasn’t a high-risk day, but there was definitely swell.”

At the time of the drowning, waves off of the coast near the Monterey Bay were roughly 8.5 feet high, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service typically does not put out high-surf advisories until swells reach 15 feet.

-Bay City News

--Image via Shutterstock

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