Samara Malczewski, Screen capture 10News
The local ABC affiliate 10News was able to have an exclusive interview with the girlfriend of the young man who died after jumping off the OB Pier Friday night.
Reporter Bree Steffen spoke with Samara Malczewski, who said she and her boyfriend, Kevin Chilson-Moyers, were visitors from Nevada. They were in OB and wanted to walk out on the Ocean Beach pier. They’d had some drinks during dinner, and once out on the pier, found a bench and were enjoying the scene.
Kevin Chilson-Moyers
Then, Malczewski said, a group of 6 men walked by them. Samara told the reporter:
“They said some stuff, you know, about me and made some derogatory comments. Kevin instantly ‘What’d you say to my girlfriend, what’d you call her?’ There was like six guys around us and the one dude, he was a big dude, I think he like grabbed Kevin’s shirt, and he demanded an apology.
And Kevin said ‘You guys need to apologize to us.’ They kind of just were like cursing at each other and [the man] grabbed [Kevin’s] hat right off him and threw it into the ocean.”
The men walked away from them but before she could react, Kevin had gotten up on the railing and jumped off the pier – all to retrieve his favorite hat, the one she had given him for Christmas. She continued:
“I started going in the water, and there were officers there and they pulled me out and they said I had to stay put and I’m running and I got his shoes. They washed up and I was just waiting for him, you know, he always comes back. Kevin was my very best friend in the whole world.”
Malczewski is assisting Kevin’s family raise enough money to bring his body back to Nevada to be buried. If you would like to help, visit the GoFundMe account.
10News also reports that Kevin’s family is pleading with the men involved in his death to come forward. And police are not saying whether there’s a criminal investigation going on into serious charges, like homicide.
Some of the news accounts of the tragedy – which made national news – differ with Samara’s memory. Media accounts reported two men in the dispute; she counted 6. She said Kevin’s hat was thrown, but his gofundme page and police reports stated that it was his backpack.
No matter. It is still a tragedy. Kevin’s death is the third death this year in and around Sunset Cliffs – and the OB Pier is definitely at the Cliffs. All the deaths have been of visitors from out of town.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I suppose there should put a notice at the end of all the streets along the Cliffs. Maybe inform people of the danger. As far as the pier is concerned, put signs on every light post.