The Hermosa Beach Police Department is reaching out to residents living on the Strand in their continuing search for a man last seen on Pier Plaza almost two weeks ago.
Michael David Vanzandt, a 36-year-old Lancaster resident, was last seen March 5 about 11:25 p.m. heading toward the Mermaid restaurant. Vanzandt had been out on Pier Plaza with friends, who lost contact with him about an hour earlier. His friends tried calling his cell phone, but got no response.
Police are asking residents living in homes along the Strand equipped with security cameras to review footage for hints about Vanzandt’s whereabouts. One theory investigators are exploring is that Vanzandt entered the ocean at some point after losing contact with his friends.
Police say Vanzandt was last seen walking away from Pier Plaza toward the Mermaid restaurant.
“It looks like on that particular night he went out for a swim,” said HBPD Det. Dean Garkow, who is assisting with the search for the missing man. “Everything so far kind of leads in that direction.”
Archived weather information information from surfline.com indicates that there was a rapidly rising swell impacting the Hermosa coast that weekend. Police have reached out to the U.S. Coast Guard and the Los Angeles County Lifeguards in their search for the man.
Vanzandt is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force who did two tours of duty in Iraq. He works as a civilian contractor at Edwards Air Force base, and has three children. His friends and family are trying to help authorities, setting up a Go Fund Me account that has raised more than $10,000 to supplement search efforts.
Vanzandt is described as being 6 feet tall and weighing 190 pounds. He has receding blonde hair and blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a grey sweatshirt and blue jeans. Anyone with information about his whereabouts or video footage is asked to contact Det. Joshua Droz at (310) 318-0334 or Det. Garkow at (310) 318-0348.
