Frantic hunt for suspected illegal migrants who washed ashore in millionaires’ enclave

Investigators are searching for video that could be coupled with facial recognition tools to identify close to one dozen suspected illegal migrants who descended on Newport Beach by boat over the weekend.

The boat carrying a large group of suspected migrants docked at Newport Harbor Saturday before those onboard scattered among the surrounding mansions. The 20-foot vessel was abandoned after striking and damaging a nearby yacht, authorities said.

Investigators are especially interested in videos that may have captured the incident, Newport Beach City Council member Erik Weigand said, as only one grainy surveillance clip of the suspected migrants fleeing the boat has surfaced so far.

“Literally no regard for safety, just barreled in and everyone bailed out and just skirmished into the community,” Weigand said. “And unfortunately, you know, only thing was that camera.”

The Newport Beach Police Department is working with federal agents on the case in hopes of identifying and apprehending the suspects. Newport has Flock Safety cameras and video surveillence devices in public areas, and many homeowners there have security cameras, Weigand said.

“They’re trying to use other security cameras and figure out if they can bring more facial recognition and try to figure out who’s who in that situation,” he added.

The incident has rattled tiny Newport Beach, where a low crime rate and high income levels have not protected the community from illegal migration. The Coast Guard nearby apprehended a boat carrying illegal migrants earlier this month, in a separate incident.

A 911 caller reported Saturday’s landing to police at about 4 p.m., Weigand said, describing a dozen male Hispanics that were aboard a fishing-type motorboat that quickly came ashore in the 400 block of Edgewater Place on Newport Bay near the Balboa Island Ferry.

Surveillance video captured by a nearby homeowner showed the men rushing off the boat on foot, and investigators believe the suspects then disappeared into the neighborhood. It’s not known if they were met by others onshore or assisted by other vehicles once ashore.

Federal sources with knowledge of the incident said finding such suspects can be like searching for a needle in a haystack. The job is particularly difficult because migrants may not have records in the US. “They’re in the wind,” said one official with knowledge of such cases.

Saturday’s landing was the latest in a string of incidents where migrant boats have been spotted or intercepted in the waters off Southern California.

A previous landing near Newport Harbor was captured on cellphone video, showing more than 20 suspected migrants disembarking from a panga boat and entering waiting vans.

In separate case, the Coast Guard intercepted a vessel and found 21 people aboard, including two individuals from Uzbekistan and one from Russia.

In yet another incident, the Coast Guard rescued 37 suspected migrants nearly 100 miles offshore after their vessel was reportedly left adrift for two days without food, water or fuel.

More recently, authorities intercepted another group of 24 suspected migrants south of Santa Barbara Island before transferring them to Newport Harbor.

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