Former WWE star Shad Gaspard is missing after he was swept out to sea while swimming
Former WWE star Shad Gaspard is missing after he was swept out to sea while swimming at a California beach, police said.
Gaspard, 39, was at the newly reopened Marina Del Rey Beach in Venice on Sunday. He was swimming about 50 yards from shore, Los Angeles police said.
“When last seen by the lifeguard, a wave had crashed over Mr. Shad Gaspard and he was swept out to sea,” the department said.
“If you’ve seen him please call 911 or Dm family,” his wife, Siliana Gaspard, said on her Instagram account.
The same message appeared on the wrestler’s Instagram. One of the photos showed Gaspard in a swimsuit standing on a beach.
Pono Barnes, ocean lifeguard specialist with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, told CNN that two swimmers got caught in a rip current Sunday, and one, a young boy, was rescued.
Gaspard’s family issued a statement Tuesday thanking the first responders who saved his 10-year-old son, Aryeh, and who continue to search for the wrestler.
“Shad is a fighter, a warrior and a magical soul. We are hoping and praying for his safe return. As a family we thank you all for your concern and well wishes. Please continue to keep sending your positivity and prayers to our beloved Shad,” the Gaspard family said in a statement to CNN.
The US Coast Guard, Los Angeles County lifeguards and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department are all looking for the swimmer, said Trina Schrader, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department.
“Weather permitting we’ll look for him in the air,” Schrader added. “We’re using all resources to try to recover him as soon as possible.”
Los Angeles County reopened its beaches last Wednesday for physical activities, which includes walking, running and swimming. The beach had been closed to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus.
A Twitter account for the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Lifeguard Division said they performed 452 ocean rescues between Friday, May 15 and Sunday, May 17 — marking “a busy weekend at the beach.”
Gaspard is best known for being a member of the wrestling team Cryme Tyme with fellow WWE star JTG, which debuted in 2006. After leaving WWE in 2010, he pursued an acting career and has appeared in the films “Think Like a Man Too” and “The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time,” according to IMDb.
