SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In a video you've likely seen by now, Del Mar resident Dan Connor captured the moment a panga capsized as it was making its way to shore. It's a tragic image now forever tied to one of his favorite places in the world.
“We come here three, four times a day," Connor said of the Sunset Seat overlook at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. "Take the dog out, just get some fresh air, see the scenery.”
It's cliche to say a day starts like any other before disaster strikes, but that's how it played out for Connor Monday morning.
Then, just before 6:30 a.m., through the elevated surf, he saw something unusual out on the waters.
“There are no docks," he said. "There's no, there's nowhere for a vessel to safely come in for miles. And so, there are very few reasons that that would happen.”
He took out his phone and started filming — a video that's now gone viral.
"It nosedives as a wave pushes it (from) behind and it flips over, capsizes," Connor said, recounting what he recorded.
The video continues for more than seven minutes. He wasn't quite sure of the severity of what he captured until he got home.
“Then I looked online and saw that there were 3 fatalities, and that's really when the gravity set in of what I witnessed was a lot more than just a boat overturning," Connor said.
As ABC 10News previously reported, both the City of Encinitas and California State Parks said preliminary reports indicated 18 people were on the panga.
Three of them died, all men according to the medical examiner. Four others were rushed to the hospital, one of whom was in critical condition. Nine were still unaccounted for as of late Monday night.
“Horrific to think of, not only what happened, but maybe what would drive somebody to take this risk," Connor said.
“This tragic maritime incident off the coast of San Diego is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by maritime smuggling. The ruthless smuggling of undocumented individuals is not only illegal, it’s deadly,” said Shawn Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of HSI San Diego. “This loss of life underscores why such criminal activity will never be tolerated. HSI San Diego will diligently pursue every lead to ensure that those responsible are identified, arrested, and held fully accountable.”
It's a loss of life, Connor said, that should not be clouded by politics.
“These are people," he said. "If you disagree with the choice that they made, I would hope you wouldn't think that a sentence of death would be, you know, the proper way for it to be determined.”
RELATED COVERAGE:
- APR. 2025: US Coast Guard triples fleet to prevent smuggling of undocumented migrants
- FEB. 2025: Panga boat washes ashore on Dog Beach with 6 people aboard
- MARCH 2023: 8 people dead after two panga boats capsized near San Diego's Black's Beach
- APRIL 2022: One dead, three hospitalized when panga boat capsizes near OB pier
- MAY 2021: 1 dead in suspected smuggling incident involving panga boat off La Jolla coast
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