Apparent Drowning Victim Identified

A 23-year-old man who apparently drowned near the Newport Pier was identified by deputy coroners Friday as Santa Ana resident Edgar Estrada, who went for a swim after a prayer meeting and was seen later floating face down in the water.

Estrada was at the pier near McFadden Place and West Ocean Front with a Victory Outreach group in a prayer meeting on the beach about 7 a.m. Thursday, when he decided to cool off, a police spokesman said. Minutes later, a fisherman found him floating about 50 yards offshore.

Lifeguards brought him out of the water and took him to Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, where he died. Estrada has parents in Mexico and a brother in Ontario, authorities said.