Bodysurfer dies mysteriously at The Wedge

Sue Doyle

NEWPORT BEACH -- A 17-year-old bodysurfer died inexplicably Tuesday after

riding waves at The Wedge, marking Newport’s third beach fatality in just

two months.

Darren Michael Bolton, of Highland, collapsed as he was walking to shore.

His friend, who saw him drop, dragged Bolton to a lifeguard tower and

flagged down officials, said Capt. Jim Turner of the Newport Beach Fire

and Marine Department.

Lifeguards performed CPR, but Bolton’s pulse faded rapidly, Turner said.

Bolton was transported to Hoag Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at

6:53 p.m.

The cause of Bolton’s death was unknown, pending an autopsy, said Rod

Thomas, supervising deputy for the Orange County Coroner’s Office. It

could take two to three months before the results of the autopsy become

available, Thomas said.

Bolton’s death was the latest in a string of close calls and drownings at

Newport Beach. Lifeguards said it has quickly become a tumultuous season

for them.

“This has been two or three years of activity in just one month,” Turner

said. “We don’t see this much in a year. It’s wild.”

Last week, a lifeguard saved four people who nearly drowned in the waters

off 56th Street after they had been caught in a rip current.

Earlier this month, a rip current at nearly the same location claimed the

life of a 38-year-old San Bernardino man. In May, a 17-year-old Santa Ana

boy was pulled out to sea by a rip current off 22nd Street and drowned.