Mourners Brave Cold, Rain To Pay Their Respects To Fallen Huntington Beach Police Officer Nicholas Vella
SANTA ANA (CBSLA) — Mourners braved the cold and the rain Tuesday to pay their respects to Huntington Beach police Officer Nicholas Vella, who was killed this weekend in a helicopter crash off the Newport Beach.
Light rain was falling in Santa Ana as Vella's body left the Orange County coroner's office. Dozens of people, most without umbrellas, stood by in silence as the hearse carrying Vella's body, which was accompanied by dozens of motorcycle officers and other law enforcement vehicles, passed by slowly.
Mourners standing in the rain to honor Huntington Beach officer Nick Vella whose body will be moved shortly from the coroner's office. Vella was killed in a police helicopter crash Saturday @cbsla #cbsla #nickvella pic.twitter.com/4tRvHwKrba
— michele gile (@michelegiletv) February 22, 2022
Vella, 44, was killed Saturday night when the Huntington Beach Police Department helicopter he was in crashed into the ocean off Newport Beach. He and a second officer were pulled from the submerged wreckage by emergency responders and bystanders. Vella, a 14-year veteran of the department, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The second officer, who has been with Huntington Beach police for 16 years, has since been release from the hospital. His name was not released.
The procession carried Vella's body to Community Funeral Service in La Habra. Funeral arrangements have not been announced.
Vella is survived by a wife and teenage daughter. The Huntington Beach Police Department and its officers association have since set up a page to support Vella's family at porac.org.
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)