Flowers placed at the overlook trail down to Esplanade Beach in Pacifica, Calif., on Friday, Jan. 20, 2023. A San Francisco State University student was swept out to sea Thursday morning while swimming at a beach in Pacifica, according to authorities. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)

PACIFICA — A San Francisco State University student was swept out to sea Thursday morning while swimming at a beach in Pacifica, according to authorities.

SF State student Hamzah Alsaudi, 22, was reported missing after he went swimming with two friends Jan. 19 at Esplanade Beach in Pacifica. (Courtesy of Pacifica Police) Courtesy of Pacifica Police

Hamzah Alsaudi, 22, a senior who wrestled at the school, had not been found as of Friday afternoon.

The incident was reported around 10:30 a.m. at Esplanade Beach. Alsaudi was swimming with two other people when he was struck by a “large wave and pulled farther away from the shore,” the Pacifica Police Department said in a news release.

Alsaudi’s companions made it back to shore and called 911 for help, police said.

Pacifica police officers and North County Fire Authority firefighters searched the area without success, police said. The U.S. Coast Guard also helped look for the student.

While residents at the nearby Oceanaire Apartment Homes complex said emergency crews were present through the night, there were no search-and-rescue operations visible off the beach around midday Friday and it was not clear if the search would resume. The Coast Guard did not respond to calls for comment.

Pacifica police described Alsaudi, a Santa Monica native, as 6’1” tall, 215 lbs. with brown hair. He was last seen wearing black shorts.

The university issued a statement Friday afternoon:

“Our hearts go out to the family, friends and classmates of beloved student and athlete Hamzah Alsaudi who remains missing following yesterday’s tragic accident. We are grateful to the Coast Guard and the Pacifica Police Department for all they have done. Campus resources are available for the members of our community who need assistance during this difficult time.”

At Manor Beach Friday, a single bouquet of flowers hung from a fence post. Neighbors described an extensive rescue scene the night before, with water, air and ground crews searching the area throughout the night.

Several signs in the vicinity of Manor and Esplanade beaches warned of dangerous rip-current conditions. Surf was high Friday morning, with waves nearly reaching the Manor Beach cliffside.

An ocean-safety page from the California Department of Parks and Recreation warned about swimming in such conditions, saying “large surf, cold water temperatures, backwash, sudden drop-offs, pounding shorebreak, and dangerous rip currents can turn what seem like safe activities such as playing near the surf line, wading, or climbing on rock outcroppings, deadly.”

Swimmers caught in a rip currrent are advised not to fight the current, but to swim out of the current in a direction parallel to the coastline; if they are unable to swim out of the current, they should remain calm and attempt to signal for help.

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PACIFICA – Two San Francisco men were arrested Monday morning in Pacifica after they drove a stolen car the wrong way on Highway 1 and crashed, police said.

Around 2:25 am, an officer spotted the car driving the wrong way on the Manor Drive off-ramp from Highway 1, the Pacifica Police Department said in a news release.

The officer tried to stop the car, but it continued southbound in northbound lanes, police said.

“Seeing how the vehicle was traveling in the wrong direction and into oncoming traffic, the officer did not pursue the car,” police said.

A short time later, another officer spotted the car exiting the highway at Oceana Boulevard. The officer tried to stop the car, which had been reported stolen in Daly City, but the driver reversed down the off-ramp, police said. The car then left the roadway, rolled onto its side and came to a rest partially blocking one lane of the highway.

Two men got out of the car and ran toward Ingrid B. Lacy Middle School, police said. One was found hiding in some heavy brush at the school and the other was found a few blocks away, at the corner of Palmetto and Carmel avenues, in an open stairwell.

Neither man was injured in the crash, police said.

One of the men was booked into San Mateo County jail on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, taking a vehicle without the owner’s consent, evading a police officer and resisting arrest, as well as a pair of bench warrants. The other was arrested on suspicon of resisting arrest and giving false identification to a police officer.

The California Highway Patrol recovered the stolen car and cleared the affected lane, police said. The incident did not result in any closures of the highway.

Anyone with information related to the case can contact the police department at 650-738-7314.

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