Costa Mesa man pleads not guilty to felony vandalism in Lido Bridge jump

A Costa Mesa man accused of jumping from the Lido Bridge in Newport Beach onto a passing Duffy boat last month pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a felony vandalism charge, according to Orange County Superior Court records.

Authorities allege Cody Green, 27, jumped from the bridge, which connects Lido Isle to the Balboa Peninsula, and swam away after he landed on the electric boat’s canopy.

The July 24 incident caused an estimated $10,500 in damage to the boat, said Jaimee Blashaw, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

Blashaw said a 64-year-old woman aboard the boat was injured. The extent of her injuries was unclear.

Authorities said they connected Green to the incident through social media. Deputies arrested him outside his home in Costa Mesa last week on suspicion of vandalism and assault, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

However, prosecutors did not file an assault charge against Green because there “wasn’t enough evidence to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt,” the Orange County district attorney’s office said Friday.

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A video believed to show the July 24 jump was posted on YouTube and has been viewed more than 62,000 times.

If convicted, Green could face a maximum sentence of three years in jail, according to prosecutors. He was released from the Theo Lacy jail in Orange on Tuesday night on his own recognizance, according to jail records.

Jumping off Newport Beach bridges and piers has been against city law since 1954, but that hasn’t stop people from taking the plunge.

In response to the incident — and to what Newport Beach officials call “increased activity” in the area — city lifeguards will be posted on the bridge and the adjacent beach area daily through Labor Day. Lifeguards also are using their patrol boat to monitor the area from the water.

Lifeguards posted near the bridge stopped 231 would-be bridge jumpers in the first two weeks they were stationed there, Newport Beach Harbor Resources Manager Chris Miller told the City Council this week.

hannah.fry@latimes.com

Twitter: @HannahFryTCN