San Diego, CA
Rep. Levin asks for surveillance towers along San Diego coast to prevent maritime smuggling
As concern mounts over dangerous maritime smuggling crossings, U.S. Rep. Mike Levin said this week that he plans to ask Congress for $60 million in federal funding to install surveillance towers along the San Diego coast.
The move comes a week after three people died when a panga with 18 people aboard capsized off the coast of Del Mar. A 10-year-old girl also went missing and is presumed dead.
“Last week’s accident shows us that there’s a lot more we still have to do,” Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, said at a news conference Monday in Del Mar. “As our land border tightens up … bad actors will continue to explore new ways to enter the U.S.”
Levin said he requested funding for autonomous surveillance towers to be deployed along maritime borders. These would include additional cameras, radar and infrared technology to help intercept maritime threats, he said.
Such technology is currently used at the U.S.-Mexico land border, according to a Border Patrol spokesperson. The solar-powered towers reach up to 33 feet tall and have a 3-mile diameter range, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.
The cameras use artificial intelligence, the agency said, to sort out real concerns from false positives. As a group or something of interest moves about, the monitoring is handed off from tower to tower, “keeping the electronic eyes on the situation at all times,” the agency said.
When the towers catch something of note, agents in the field get an alert on their phones or tablets.
There are towers for land use and maritime use, said Dave Maass, director of investigations with Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates for digital privacy. He said the United Kingdom uses similar technology to monitor the English Channel.
Locally, he said, there is at least one maritime camera on private property in Del Mar, north of Dog Beach, and another at Friendship Park along the border in San Diego.
Maass said it’s not clear what the maritime towers watch, whether they look just to the water or also see people on the beaches.
“I don’t think people have a good sense of what they are capturing and what they are seeing,” Maass said. “There should be some transparency about that, because if they are capturing people on the beach, questions should be asked.”
Levin said he was briefed on last week’s fatal incident by CBP’s air and maritime operations, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard. He then asked officials what was needed to prevent such incidents.
He said he hopes the autonomous system would be a deterrent to smugglers, who typically wait for bad weather to slip ashore. With bad weather comes greater safety risks.
“One common denominator currently hindering interdiction and response efforts is heavy fog or issues related to weather conditions,” he said. “That was the instance last week. These towers would help fill the gaps in our detection efforts and help make our borders more secure.”
As the number of migrant encounters between land ports of entry have declined, officials have said that maritime crossings could become more common.
Since the start of the Trump administration, the U.S. Coast Guard has tripled its resources on the southern border “to enhance border security, immigration enforcement, and to protect the territorial integrity of the United States,” the agency said in late March.
A family devastated
Last week’s incident was the region’s worst maritime smuggling disaster since 2023, when eight people, all Mexican nationals, died after two vessels capsized off the coast of Black’s Beach in La Jolla.
In the most recent tragedy, three people — two Mexican nationals and a 14-year-old boy from India — died at the beach. A fourth, the boy’s 10-year-old sister from India, is missing and presumed dead.
The children’s parents were among four people taken to a La Jolla hospital, where their father was in a coma. The hospital declined Monday to provide an update on the status of the patients.
The Indian Express news site interviewed the uncle of the man in the coma, who said his nephew had owned a business but the pandemic left him in financial trouble.
The uncle, identified as Anil Patel, said that last he knew, the family of four had gone to London on a visitor’s visa in October. He assumed the family would return. “They did not tell us that they were planning to enter the U.S. through the illegal route,” he said.
Patel said the Indian Consulate in San Francisco informed his family of the deaths of the two children.
Recent smuggling attempts
Del Mar has been the site of numerous maritime crossings in recent years — Del Mar Chief Lifeguard Jon Edelbrock said he’s responded to “hundreds” — and on Monday, city officials publicly supported Levin’s efforts to better secure the coastline.
“It is important to underscore that incidents like these are dangerous and put everyone involved at risk,” said Del Mar Mayor Terry Gaasterland. “We support efforts to bring the criminals involved with these human smuggling activities to justice and to prevent this activity from continuing in the future.”
From May 4 through Saturday, there were 11 maritime smuggling incidents on the Southwest border, according to weekly data from the U.S. Coast Guard in Southern California. Another nine cases were reported the week before, involving 52 people.
Over a 13-hour period on Saturday, Coast Guard personnel interdicted three suspected smuggling boats off the coast of San Diego and detained 18 people, officials said. One captain intentionally beached his boat while being pursued by a Coast Guard cutter, while another only stopped after a Coast Guard crew member fired copper slugs into the boat’s engine to disable it.
The first incident began after a 24-foot cabin cruiser was spotted around 4:40 a.m. by a Coast Guard cutter that activated its blue lights while trying to stop it. The boat’s captain sped off toward shore and intentionally ran into the sand near Windansea Beach, where 13 people jumped off and began running.
Homeland Security officers on shore were able to apprehend five men from Mexico, a woman from Cuba and a woman from Guatemala. Six got away, officials said.
The second incident occurred around 2:40 p.m. when a Coast Guard crew did a routine security boarding on a 20-foot pleasure craft 2 miles south of Point Loma. The boat was not displaying any registration, and the three people onboard were not authorized to enter the U.S. The three were detained and transferred to Homeland Security officials.
The final incident occurred around 5:50 p.m. when officials spotted an 18-foot cuddy cabin traveling north near Point Loma and watched with surveillance cameras as it entered San Diego Bay, officials said.
A Coast Guard boat crew went to intercept the vessel, but the captain drove off. The crew used verbal commands and fired several loud warning shots to try to get the captain to stop. When that didn’t work, a crew member fired four copper slugs into the engine to disable it. The crew boarded the boat and found eight people onboard, including five men, one woman and two teen boys. All were detained.
Besides the funding request, the congressman is also part of a bipartisan group of legislators that in February reintroduced a bill that aims to expand CBP’s jurisdiction from 12 to 24 nautical miles offshore.
“Specifically, it will increase detection, interdiction, and ultimately prosecution of those who are attempting to bring illegal cargoes (narcotics, bulk cash, guns and human trafficking victims) into the nation,” Levin’s office said in a news release.
San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, a Republican who is running for Levin’s congressional district, called the effort “too little, too late.”
“Mike Levin has been complicit in the chaos we’re seeing today,” Desmond said in a statement. “This isn’t leadership — it’s political damage control.”
Levin said Monday he plans to submit the request for federal funding “within the next few days.”
Staff writer Karen Kucher contributed to this report.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — A Navy jet that crashed into San Diego Bay within striking distance of homes, hotels, and restaurants had climbed to about 8,000 feet in the air with no one on board after its pilots ejected following a failed landing in February, Team 10 has learned.
And now documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request from the recently completed investigation into the accident are shedding new light on the chaotic moments leading up to the crash of the $67 million EA-18G Growler.
They reveal concerns about runway conditions, a fuel leak midair, and a warning from air traffic control that created confusion in the cockpit.
According to the records, the pilot felt something was wrong with his brakes moments before the mishap.
On the day of the accident, the pilot and the electronic warfare officer in the backseat had to get into a spare jet due to a fuel leak. Capt. Brandon Viets/Premier Sportsfishing via AP
The crew took off from North Island and joined a tanker to refuel midair. They had a “minor leak from the basket” and decided to return to base rather than risking being more than 500 miles off the coast.
As they prepared their descent, the crew was told there was water on the runway at North Island.
The pilot landed but was up against tailwinds and higher-than-normal speeds. He told investigators, “I knew I would have to get on the brakes a bit more.”
He said as he applied them, he noticed the brakes felt “mushy or at least a bit different than normal.”
U.S. Navy
Fearing the jet wouldn’t stop in time, the pilot started a go-around maneuver. Then a tower controller warned, “Not enough runway.”
“This was said in a very concerned voice, which caused some confusion and concern,” the pilot said.
‘Eject! Eject! Eject!’
Retired Air Force accident investigator Rich Martindell said he was surprised the air traffic controller made that warning and thought it was inappropriate.
“The tower wasn’t in a position to really know the aircraft’s speed and what the whole situation was,” he said in an interview.
Martindell, who has flown the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet, a similar aircraft that lacks the Growler’s electronic warfare gear, said the controller couldn’t have known how much runway was left.
“It clouded the issue and caused the crew to have more doubt about the situation.”
The pilot told an investigator moments after having issues with the brakes, “It felt like the jet was not going flying and the water was approaching, so I called for ejection with ‘EJECT, EJECT, EJECT’ and then we pulled the handles,” his witness statement shows.
Jack Fischetti
The crew safely parachuted into San Diego Bay and were rescued by a fishing boat.
The jet continued to climb to roughly 8,000 feet before dropping for over a minute and crashing into San Diego Bay near Shelter Island, the Navy investigation found.
“It looks like what it did is stalled. So, it got nose high, ran out of airspeed, came back around, and then the video we see of it going into the water, nose first, just all happened after the ejection,” said Martindell.
Amol Brown/Team 10
The Growler’s chaotic drop from the sky was captured on a resident’s doorbell and nearby surveillance cameras, which showed it nose-diving into the bay.
“If this aircraft had continued on even a second more, it could have hit Shelter Island or flown into a populated neighborhood in Point Loma — very, very close to a tragedy,” retired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Steve Ganyard told ABC News after the crash.
Navy says human error, weather to blame
After Team 10 obtained the documents, the Navy confirmed in October that it had finished the investigation into the mishap and ruled out mechanical failure.
Instead, investigators determined the crash was caused by human error exacerbated by a combination of factors, including adverse weather.
“The aircraft was unable to safely stop on the runway due to wet runway conditions and landing with a tailwind. The investigation determined that the pilot should have instead executed maximum braking techniques,” said Navy Cmdr. Amelia Umayam, a spokesperson for Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
The Navy spent weeks recovering debris from the water and said roughly 85% of the aircraft was recovered including significant debris.
“The U.S. Navy has well-established and rigorous programs for crew resource management, adherence to training rules, professionalism and airmanship,” Umayam wrote in a prepared statement.
“In the days and weeks that followed the crash, leadership across the enterprise reinforced to all crews that strict adherence to these programs is critical to safe and effective flight operations.”
Martindell still believes the air traffic controller’s warning was a contributing factor in the mishap and may have altered the pilot’s decision-making in the final moments before the ejection.
“He may have made a different decision I’m sure that that call had some influence on his decision to call for the ejection.”
Team 10 Investigative Reporter Austin Grabish covers military investigations, the Medical Board of California and the U.S.-Mexico border. If you have a story for Austin to investigate, email austin.grabish@10news.com
SAN DIEGO, CA — A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in a 2018 killing of a man in San Diego, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Monday.
Arthur Jordan, 28, was fatally shot July 19, 2018, by an unknown assailant while sitting in a car in the 3000 block of Martin Avenue. At the time of his death, Jordan was a barber working in his family’s barber shop.
San Diego Police Department investigators have interviewed witnesses and potential suspects, but have exhausted all leads.
“We are very thankful for the governor’s support in our efforts to find justice for Jordan and his family,” said SDPD detective Chris Murray.
Under California law, law enforcement agencies may ask the governor to issue rewards in specific unsolved cases where they have exhausted all investigative leads, to encourage individuals with information about the crimes to come forward. Public assistance is vital to law enforcement, and rewards may encourage public cooperation needed to apprehend those who have committed serious offenses.
SDPD has requested that a reward be offered to encourage anyone with information about this murder, urging them to contact Sgt. Joel Tien at 619-531- 2323. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to San Diego Crime Stoppers at 888- 580-8477.
The souped-up Pacific storm that will hit San Diego County on Christmas Eve could drop 3 to 4 inches of rain over a short period, making travel dicey and raising the risk of flooding, the National Weather Service said.
San Diego averages less than 2 inches of rain in December and hasn’t had a drop this month.
The region will catch the tail of a storm that tapped into copious amounts of subtropical moisture, causing it to grow and become more explosive. The Pineapple Express, as some call it, will affect the entire state. The first big urban hit comes Monday when the system is expected to slam the San Francisco Bay Area. It’ll then sink toward Southern California.
The storm, which also is packing strong winds, could slow or disrupt traffic on Interstate 5 and U.S. Highway 101, prime routes between San Diego and San Francisco.
Forecasters say the system will push into Orange and San Diego counties and the Inland Empire late Tuesday night and unleash heavy rain, and possibly lightning, on Wednesday. The wind could gust as high as 40 mph in spots from San Diego to Julian, forecasters said.
The most intense rain is expected to fall from mid-morning until late-afternoon Wednesday, when last-minute Christmas shoppers will be crowding freeways. Downpours could close some parking areas at the Fashion Valley Mall in Mission Valley, which often floods in heavy rain. Showers will last into Thursday, Christmas Day, and forecasters say a second storm could hit over the weekend.
A flash flood watch will be in effect countywide from 4 a.m. Wednesday to 1 a.m. Thursday.
The forecast has turned worrisome over the past couple of days.
The weather service earlier thought the storm could produce about 1.5 inches of rain in San Diego, and roughly twice as much across inland valleys and mountains.
On Sunday, they said San Diego could get 2.5 to 4 inches of precipitation. And there was deeper confidence that some areas east of Interstate 15 would be seeing 3 to 4 inches of rain.
Snow isn’t expected, though. The storm is comparatively warm due to its connections with the subtropics.
Blazers Fall to Detroit Pistons in Beautiful, Ugly Bout
Thousands in one San Francisco neighborhood heading into another day without power
Mavericks vs. Pelicans Final Score: Dallas loses to New Orleans, 119-113
Russian air attack on Ukraine kills three and sparks sweeping outages
Green Line back open after closure to replace 1800s beams – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
Florida High School Football Rankings: Top 25 teams – Oct. 21
Cleary's 21 help Le Moyne down Central Connecticut State 69-64 in OT
How old is Bo Nix? What to know about Oregon quarterback ahead of 2024 NFL Draft
99th annual Pony Swim held in Virginia
Video: ‘It Didn’t Have to Happen This Way:’ U.Va. Faculty Call for Review of Police Response to Protests
20% of NYC mayor-elect Mamdani transition appointees have anti-Zionist ties: ADL
Exclusive: Former MEP Kaili doubles down on ‘Belgiangate’
‘Music makes everything better’: A Texas doctor spins vinyl to give patients relief
Video: Who Is Trying to Replace Planned Parenthood?
Comer summons Minnesota officials as House probes massive social services fraud
-
Iowa1 week agoAddy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI
-
Iowa1 week agoHow much snow did Iowa get? See Iowa’s latest snowfall totals
-
Maine7 days agoElementary-aged student killed in school bus crash in southern Maine
-
Maryland1 week agoFrigid temperatures to start the week in Maryland
-
New Mexico6 days agoFamily clarifies why they believe missing New Mexico man is dead
-
South Dakota1 week agoNature: Snow in South Dakota
-
Detroit, MI1 week ago‘Love being a pedo’: Metro Detroit doctor, attorney, therapist accused in web of child porn chats
-
Health1 week ago‘Aggressive’ new flu variant sweeps globe as doctors warn of severe symptoms