A California man is presumed dead after attempting to jump across Oregon’s treacherous Devil’s Churn— a narrow inlet on the Pacific coast known for its extreme currents.
Steve Allen, 67, of Walnut Creek, California, tried to jump over the water passage at around 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9, according to a statement from Oregon State Police.
Troopers originally responded to a call that a man had fallen into the ocean and later learned Allen had jumped.
Witnesses said that Allen fell into the ocean while trying to leap across the churn, and other visitors were unable to rescue him, according to police. He was last seen by rescue agencies “unresponsive” in the water before crews lost sight of his body.
Agencies suspended their search around 6:40 p.m. Thursday evening, declaring Allen to be presumed dead.
The churn, about 140 miles southwest of Portland in Lincoln County, has extremely dangerous rip tides and large waves along jagged rocks that form its narrow passageway.
Allen tried to jump across the narrowest portion of the cove that was about three to four feet wide, according to local news site Yachats News.
“It looks like you can jump across, but the other side is steep and slick,” witness Andy Nelson, of Portland, Oregon, told the site, saying Allen was with his wife at the time of the accident.
Nelson said Allen was able to hold onto a life ring at one point, but bystanders were unable to pull him out of the water.