Man Found Dead on Venice Beach is Identified

A man whose lifeless body was washed ashore in Venice Beach Monday afternoon has been identified.

Chong Nam Kwak, 61, of Los Angeles, who appears to have died in an accident, was named by the LA County Coroner's Office.

Lifeguards found a beached inflatable raft and the body at 1:44 p.m. at Ocean Front Walk and Topsail Street, officials said. The victim's identity has yet to be released.

It looks like a plastic bag became tangled in his propeller and high surf capsized his boat. Powerful surf and fog made conditions particularly treacherous for sailing Monday.

Casey Jacobs found his body, but despite the efforts of people on the beach, he proved impossible to resuscitate.

"I screamed and I ran and, you know, tried grabbing him and I couldn't, so luckily another gentleman rushed up," Jacobs said, "More people came and were trying to help. Feeling his pulse, pushing on his chest and water was just coming out of his nose. I mean, he was far gone."

Homicide detectives were trying to figure out how a man found unresponsive on a Venice Beach on Monday died.

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His death is still under investigation, however detectives say so far signs point to the man being the victim of an accident caused by extremely dangerous conditions.

Asher Klein contributed to this report
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