Officials search for man who allegedly jumped off Pismo pier

Officials searched the waters off Pismo Beach late Saturday and early Sunday for a man who allegedly jumped off the pier, Pismo Beach police Sgt. Anthony Hernandez said Sunday.

About 9:50 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to a witness’s report of a man who allegedly jumped from the pier and was having difficulty in the water, Hernandez said.

Personal property was found on the pier; attempts to contact the out-of-town man identified from the left-behind property have been unsuccessful, Hernandez said. Police are trying to determine whether the items found on the pier belonged to the man who allegedly jumped.

The incident is under investigation, and the case is being treated as a “missing person under suspicious circumstances,” Hernandez said. He added that the individual has been entered into the missing persons database.

Officials from the Pismo Beach Police Department, Cal Fire, U.S. Coast Guard and State Parks searched the water south of the Pismo Beach Pier on Saturday night until about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. A Coast Guard helicopter, a watercraft and rescue swimmers assisted in the search. Foggy weather and high surf limited officials’ abilities to find the individual. Officers did not hear or see anyone in the water during their search, Hernandez said.

U.S. Coast Guard resumed the search at sunrise Sunday but stopped at 9:30 a.m., Petty Officer 1st Class Sondra Kneen said. Kneen said the search was suspended until more details were available.

This story was originally published March 20, 2016 at 1:18 PM with the headline "Officials search for man who allegedly jumped off Pismo pier."