Police have identified a man whose body was pulled from the water at a North Shore beach in Auckland on Sunday, following a public appeal for assistance from the Waitematā CIB. Emergency responders had previously recovered the man from Saint Leonards Beach, where initial revival attempts proved unsuccessful.
Saint Leonards Beach Emergency Response and CPR
Emergency services rushed to the northern end of Saint Leonards Beach around 5:45pm after bystanders spotted a body in the water. A member of the public pulled the man ashore and attempted CPR before emergency responders arrived at the scene. Despite those efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the beach, according to police accounts from the incident.
Big Manly Beach Investigation and Public Assistance
Earlier investigations into the incident also brought to light a similar discovery at Big Manly Beach on the Whangaparāoa peninsula, where a deceased male was discovered around 12.50pm on Thursday after a member of the public came across the body. In that separate regional case, police had sought public assistance to identify a Caucasian male aged between 30 and 40 with brown hair and a beard, who was found wearing a grey t-shirt, black shorts, black running shoes, and black socks. Officials had provided contact avenues such as the 105 service referencing file number P068089657, alongside anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111, before confirming that man’s identification and family notification.
Waitematā CIB Public Descriptions of the Saint Leonards Beach Man
Regarding the Sunday incident at Saint Leonards Beach, investigators initially released descriptions of the individual to the public in an effort to determine his identity and notify his family. Police stated that the man appeared to be between 40 and his early 60s, noting distinct personal details including that he was wearing a bicycle tyre inner-tube as a belt. Regional reporting also noted he wore a dark polo shirt with thin horizontal stripes alongside blue and green swimming goggles.
Waitematā CIB Confirms Identification and Family Notification
By Monday afternoon, Waitematā CIB Acting Detective Inspector Megan Goldie confirmed that authorities had successfully identified the man and notified his next of kin.
Work is ongoing to determine the circumstances of the man’s death.
Acting Detective Inspector Megan Goldie, Waitematā CIB
While the immediate priority of establishing the man’s identity has been achieved, investigators emphasize that inquiries remain active. Authorities have not yet released the man’s name or specific medical findings regarding the cause of death as forensic and police inquiries continue across the Auckland district.
