BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

Police say man posed as a cop to grope women

Newport Beach police are looking for a man who apparently masqueraded as an undercover officer to fondle two women at Bonita Canyon Park.

At about 11 p.m. Wednesday, the man approached two women — one 19 years old and the other 20 — while they were in a car parked in a lot at the park at Milano Drive and La Salud, police said Thursday night.

The man fondled the women while frisking them, police said. When the women asked for some sort of identification, he could not provide any, so they fled in their car.

The man was described as Latino, 25 to 30 years old, 5-foot-10, about 200 pounds with a stocky build, and short brown hair. He was wearing a gray sweatshirt with USC on the front.

Nothing indicated that the man was an actual police officer, authorities said.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at (800) 550-6273. Callers may leave anonymous tips.

Costa Mesa man dies in car crash near Needles

A Costa Mesa man is dead and his wife was hospitalized after his pickup flipped on a highway near Needles, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Robert Holder, 67, of Costa Mesa, was driving west on the CA-62 highway in his Chevy Avalanche on Sunday when the car began drifting off the road, Officer Wyland LaFave reported. When Holder swerved to correct course, he lost control, spun across both lanes and hit a dirt embankment. The car launched into the air and flipped at least twice.

Holder was not wearing a seat belt and was partially ejected from the cab; his wife, Lingie Holder, 66, sustained moderate injuries and was taken to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, authorities said.