A 32-year-old Ventura County man who had been reported missing earlier this week has died, authorities announced Sunday.
Niko Nakamura was last seen on Feb. 8 in the Midtown area of Ventura, according to the Ventura Police Department.
The 32-year-old, who was described as 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighing around 185 pounds, had last been seen wearing a black hoodie, sweatpants and checkered Vans shoes.
At 7 a.m. on Sunday, crews with the Ventura Fire Department were dispatched to a report of a person not breathing.
“Firefighters arrived within 6 minutes of dispatch and quickly realized this was an ocean rescue with a confirmed victim under water and ordered a regional ocean rescue response,” police said.
In a multiagency operation, nine rescue swimmers performed a grid search where the victim was thought to be.
The victim, later identified as Nakamura, was found just an hour after the search was launched.
Paramedics began advance life support measures and rushed the 32-year-old to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The circumstances leading up to Nakamura’s disappearance and how he ended up in the ocean are unknown. Officials did not provide any additional details.
