BRIEFLY IN PUBLIC SAFETY

No signs of trauma on body found in river

County authorities are still piecing together the mystery surrounding a dead body discovered this weekend in the Santa Ana River mouth.

Foul play does not appear to be a factor in the man’s death, Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Jim Amormino said Monday.

“There were no obvious signs of trauma, no [questionable] bruises, gunshots, stab wounds and so on,” Amormino said.

Orange County coroners have not identified the man, thought to be in his 30s, authorities said. Authorities did say the body was tattooed and unclothed at the time it was found.

A group of local surfers found the body about 10:40 a.m. Saturday near the river jetties on a sandbar under the Pacific Coast Highway bridge that connects Newport and Huntington beaches. The area has only a few homes near the Newport side of the bridge.

An autopsy is pending, medical examiners said. Authorities, citing the condition the man was found in, believe he may have been dead for some time.

It is not clear where the body came from — farther up the river or from out at sea. But investigators said it’s a possibility that the man was swimming in the ocean and got swept under by a rough current.

The Orange County Sheriff’s Department is handling the investigation because the river, which marks the northern border between the two cities, falls under county jurisdiction.

Two-car collision kills one, injures another

An early morning car crash on Bolsa Chica Street Nov. 29 took the life of a 27-year-old Fullerton resident, according to police.

Police say he lost control of his purple Ford Mustang while driving south near Rancho Road just before 5 a.m. The car then crossed the center divider into opposing traffic, where a northbound Toyota pickup truck smashed into its driver side.

The Fullerton resident was removed from the Mustang by the Orange County Fire Authority and pronounced dead at Long Beach Memorial Hospital at 5:57 a.m.; the Toyota’s driver, Huntington Beach resident Steven Glenn, 41, was treated on the scene for minor injuries and released.

Both vehicles were badly damaged.

The name of the Mustang’s driver was not immediately released pending notification of his family, according to the Los Angeles County coroner. But coroner’s officials could not locate records of him Wednesday to confirm whether his name had been later released.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation, police said. Anyone who saw the collision is asked to call (714) 536-5663.