Plea for help was a hoax

Alex Coolman

A distress call from a sinking ship in Newport Beach waters had Coast

Guard rescuers mobilized briefly Sunday before the callers admitted their

report was a hoax.

The Coast Guard office in Long Beach received a report shortly after

3:30 p.m. that a boat traveling from Newport Beach to Catalina was taking

on water. Seventeen people were said to be on the boat, according to

Victor Blalack, a lieutenant commander with the Coast Guard.

Rescuers, including a Coast Guard helicopter, rushed into action. But

10 minutes later the callers admitted they were lying.

The exact origin of the call has not been determined, Blalack said.

But the Coast Guard said it came from the vicinity of the Newport Harbor

area.

Blalack noted that the Federal Communications Commission does not

smile on such fake reports.

“There’s some pretty severe penalties if we catch them, and that’s the

problem -- catching them,” he said.

Blalack said the false reports are a concern, not only because they

use expensive resources but also because they tie up rescue vehicles that

might be needed in a real emergency.

Victor Lopez, the telecommunications specialist who took the call,

said the details of the report did not seem legitimate to him from the

start.

“We were pretty confident it was bogus,” Lopez said. “But they said 17

people. I don’t want 17 souls on my head.”