Two vanish before belongings are found on Hawaii beach amid high surf, officials say
Rescuers will keep searching the water for two people whose belongings were found on a beach in Hawaii over the weekend during high surf, officials said.
Samantha Chun, 17, and Joseph Fujioka, 18, were last seen at about 10 p.m. Jan. 17 buying items at a convenience store on the island of Oahu, the Honolulu Police Department and CrimeStoppers said in a Jan. 19 bulletin.
“Family later found their personal belongings at Ke Iki Beach on the North Shore of Oahu on the morning of Saturday, January 18, 2025,” and “family and friends are concerned for their safety and well-being,” the bulletin said.
Rescue agencies including Honolulu Ocean Safety, the Honolulu Fire Department and the U.S. Coast Guard started searching the waters off the beach the morning the belongings were found, an Ocean Safety spokesperson said in an email update that evening.
The surf was estimated to be at 18-foot face that day, and it had reached about 40-foot face the night the pair were last seen, the update said.
The search continued Jan. 19-20 and was expected to pick back up on Jan. 21, when the surf was expected to be smaller, an Ocean Safety spokesperson said.
Chun attends Hawaii Technology Academy, and Fujioka is an aspiring pilot who graduated high school last year, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.
Dozens of the pair’s loved ones came together at the beach Jan. 19 as the search continued, including friend Roslyn Catracchia who said, “everyone who loves (them) is out here, and the number keeps growing,” the outlet reported.
“The support has been amazing, and the first responders are just so brave. They are doing anything and everything that they can to find them,” Catracchia said, according to the outlet.
This story was originally published January 21, 2025 at 12:41 PM with the headline "Two vanish before belongings are found on Hawaii beach amid high surf, officials say."
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