Man collecting cans tumbles off pier and is found 16 feet underwater, CA rescuers say

A man was found 16 feet underwater after falling off a California pier while collecting cans, according to fire officials.

When the man fell from Torpedo Pier in San Francisco on Tuesday, May 16, witnesses said he was “struggling to stay afloat” and quickly disappeared underwater, Jonathan Baxter with the San Francisco Fire Department said in a Twitter video.

Multiple agencies arrived to search for the man, according to Baxter.

Divers from the fire department found the man at the “base of the day” just off the pier, Baxter said.

Firefighters performed “lifesaving measures” on the man before he was taken to a hospital in critical condition, Baxter said.

Torpedo Pier “sits at the mouth of the Golden Gate (Bridge),” according to the National Park Service.

Daniella Segura

McClatchy DC

Daniella Segura is a national real-time reporter with McClatchy. Previously, she’s worked as a multimedia journalist for weekly and daily newspapers in the Los Angeles area. Her work has been recognized by the California News Publishers Association. She is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.