(News Release from Oregon State PoliceMarch 6th, 2023 9:47 AM)
On Saturday, March 4, 2023, at approximately 5:00 P.M., the Oregon State police responded to Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area to assist with the rescue of a male who was swept out into the ocean after falling from a rocky bluff. The victim, Henry Minh Hoang (25) of West Covina (CA), was hiking beyond a safety fence in an area known to locals as “the punch bowl” (not to be confused with Devil’s Punch Bowl State Park) when he slipped and fell approximately 20 feet to the waters edge. The victim was reportedly knocked unconscious from the fall and was swept into the ocean by the waves. Witnesses lost sight of the victim and the rescue operation later transition into a likely recovery operation.
(Photos by Sabrina Fitzgerald)
The recovery effort was suspended until Sunday morning, March 5, when searchers could safely resume their efforts. At approximately 4:30 P.M., on March 5, the victim was located deceased on the shoreline, at the bottom of a nearby cliff. The decedent’s body was recovered and transported to a local funeral home. OSP was assisted by the Tillamook County Sheriffs Office, Nestucca Fire and the United States Coast Guard.