FALL GUY

Man Dies After Following Woman in 40-Foot Jump Off Huntington Beach Pier

The 44-year-old man had jumped after a woman at Huntington Beach Pier. While she made it to shore unharmed, he was towed in by surfers, unresponsive.

A man who died Sunday after jumping after a woman off the Huntington Beach Pier has been identified, with police announcing an investigation into the incident, according to the Los Angeles Times. Fenton Auston Dee III, 44, was unresponsive after being towed to shore by surfers after taking the forbidden leap off the pier. The 36-year-old woman he was with, however, made it to shore without incident, according to beach spokeswoman Jennifer Carey. A witness to the incident told the Times that it had looked like the woman “just wanted to jump for fun,” though it seemed to him that Dee didn’t want to follow her. “I don’t know if he was trying to stop her,” the witness added. He noted that “it had looked like [the woman] was struggling” amid strong waves after landing in the water, “so I think [Dee] just made a decision he was going to help her.” A safety official with the beach, Eric Dieterman, guessed that Dee’s plunge was likely longer than the 40 feet usually separating the top of the pier from the water, given reported tidal conditions at the time.