Border Patrol officers, lifeguards respond after panga found on beach in Mission Beach
13 life jackets were found near the boat, which was abandoned on the sand near Belmont Park; police said the vessel was found around 5 a.m.
An abandoned panga was found at Mission Beach early Tuesday morning, officials said.
Border Patrol officers and San Diego lifeguards responded after the low-slung boat was found on the sand near Belmont Park, San Diego police Sgt. Ariel Savage said.
Authorities were notified about the panga shortly after 5 a.m.
OnScene TV reported the boat was found by a city employee cleaning the beach. A Border Patrol official said a “citizen” found the 25-foot boat.
No one was at the boat but 13 life preservers were spotted on the sand, according to Eric Lavergne, special operations supervisor for the Border Patrol’s San Diego sector.
Lavergne said Customs and Border Protection seized the boat.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Updates
5:59 p.m. July 18, 2023: This story was updated with information from the Border Patrol.
