Who was Huntington Beach Police Officer Nicholas Vella?
NICHOLAS Vella was a valiant police officer with the Huntington Beach Police Department for 14 years.
His tragic death has left many unanswered questions as to what happened to the helicopter.
Who was Huntington Beach Police Officer Nicholas Vella?
Nicholas Vella was a veteran police officer with the Huntington Beach Police Department for 14 years.
On the night of Saturday 19, February 2022, Nicholas died when a police department helicopter he was in crashed into shallow water in Newport Bay, California.
He was in the helicopter with another police officer who has not yet been named. Nicholas Vella is survived by his wife and daughter.
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What was the cause of the accident?
It was reported that Nicholas Vella and his colleague were in a helicopter on their way to a disturbance fight call.
However, the helicopter crashed just after 6:30pm local time near the Lido Peninsula.
Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra : "The helicopter crashed for reasons we’re not certain of."
by an electronic dance music artist claimed he witnessed the incident. He stated: "It was directly above us spinning out of control.. crashed less than 150 feet from our boat... still shaken up from what we just saw."
How have people reacted to Nicholas Vella's death?
Reacting to the tragic news, Huntington Beach Mayor Barbara Delgleize stated: "Our community values our police department, and the loss of an officer hits us all really hard. This tragic accident serves as a reminder of the danger and the risk that our police officers put themselves in on a daily basis to protect our community."
The LAPD tweeted their condolences on Saturday night, writing: "The LAPD sends our condolences to the Huntington Beach Police Department. One of their officers was killed in the line of duty tonight, after the police helicopter he was operating in crashed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, his co-workers, and his injured partner."
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