Swimmer who drowned off Thousand Steps Beach in Laguna Beach was 16-year-old LA girl

California

A 16-year-old girl from Los Angeles was identified as the swimmer whose body was recovered by OC Lifeguards from the ocean off Thousand Steps Beach in Laguna Beach.

Juliet Jung had been seen struggling in the water near another swimmer at the south end of the beach close to the sea cave around 4:47 p.m., on Wednesday, Oct. 5,  said Laguna Beach police Lt. Cornelius Ashton.

  • First responders and emergency personnel gather near the staircase to...

    First responders and emergency personnel gather near the staircase to Thousand Steps Beach. (Photo by Erika Ritchie, OC Register/SCNG)

  • Emergency responders at Thousand Steps Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 5,...

    Emergency responders at Thousand Steps Beach on Wednesday, Oct. 5, 2022, after body of female swimmer is recovered. (Photo by Erika Ritchie, OC Register/SCNG)

  • OC Lifeguards, who oversee South Laguna beaches, are seen leaving...

    OC Lifeguards, who oversee South Laguna beaches, are seen leaving the beach after the body of a female swimmer was recovered. (Photo by Erika Ritchie, OC Register/SCNG)

  • Duke, the Orange County Sheriff Department’s helicopter, flies over Thousand...

    Duke, the Orange County Sheriff Department’s helicopter, flies over Thousand Steps Beach in South Laguna after the body of a female swimmer was recovered. (Photo by Erika Ritchie, OC Register/SCNG)

  • Emergency equipment lines South Coast Highway near Thousand Steps Beach...

    Emergency equipment lines South Coast Highway near Thousand Steps Beach after a swimmer disappeared in the ocean. (Photo by Erika Ritchie, OC Register/SCNG)

  • OC Lifeguards and Laguna Beach police officers are seen leaving...

    OC Lifeguards and Laguna Beach police officers are seen leaving the sand at Thousand Steps Beach after a missing swimmer’s body was recovered. (Photo by Erika Ritchie, OC Register/SCNG)

  • A Sheriff’s helicopter flies over the area where the female...

    A Sheriff’s helicopter flies over the area where the female was last seen. (Photo by Erika Ritchie, OC Register/SCNG)

A person who had been on the rock cliff with Jung and the other swimmer called 911, said Marisa O’Neil, spokesperson for OC Parks.

OC Lifeguards were dispatched at 4:50 p.m., she said, adding that there was no lifeguard on duty at Thousand Steps. At this time of the year, the beach is staffed only on weekends.

Lifeguards were able to rescue the other swimmer – a male – but couldn’t locate Jung, O’Neil said. With surf in the three-to-four-foot range she had disappeared in the water.

The sea cave is a large cavern that goes deep into the cliff wall on one side and leads through to a private beach and an area known as the “secret pools” on the other side. The area is very dangerous to those unfamiliar with ocean conditions, especially during high tide and surf. Rip currents are frequently in the area.

“Constantly changing beach, surf and tidal conditions make the rocky areas along the shoreline unpredictable and extremely hazardous,” O’Neil said. “OC Lifeguards advise beachgoers to avoid going near the ocean in areas where there is no lifeguard on duty and to check with lifeguards on current conditions before recreating near the water.”

Multiple agencies assisted at the scene, including some dive teams and Laguna Beach Lifeguards. Laguna Beach Fire and police were there, as were the Orange County Fire Authority and the Orange County Sheriff Department’s helicopter Duke and the harbor patrol.

The Orange County Coroner later was called to the beach in Three Arch Bay, just around the bend from the cliff that separates it from Thousand Steps Beach. The girl’s body was located by O.C. Lifeguards at 6:10 p.m. and brought to shore.

Jung was identified Thursday by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department.

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