A 53-year-old man floating more than two miles off Seal Beach’s coast — and 12-plus hours after going missing — was rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter after its crew spotted his neon-green life vest and noticed him moving his legs as they got closer, officials said.
The discovery was made just after 10:45 a.m. Monday, Aug. 17 about two and a half miles offshore from the Seal Beach pier, more than a half-day after Paul Anthony Carbullido Jr. went missing from off Long Beach’s coast after falling from a personal watercraft Sunday night.
Petty Officer Adam Stanton of the Coast Guard said Carbullido was just floating in the water and wasn’t responsive at first, but once the helicopter got closer, he began moving his legs, prompting a rescuer to be lowered down to pluck him from the water.
Carbullido was taken to a hospital for treatment, authorities said.
A spokesman for the Coast Guard said Carbullido was conscious and suffering from hypothermia.
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