The man who was swept off rocks into the ocean as enormous waves pounded Depoe Bay Thursday has been identified as 46-year-old Jose Alfredo Rodriguez Alvarez of Mexico. He is presumed dead.

State police waited to release the name until the man's family in Michoacán were notified. The man had been living in Newport but was from Mexico, police said.

Around 11:20 a.m. Thursday, troopers responded to a report that man had been knocked off the rocks near the sea wall in Depoe Bay. Witnesses said the man, later identified as Alvarez, had gone over the wall to look at the ocean when waves swept him away, police said.

Within 10 minutes, the Coast Guard had a helicopter searching for the man. Depoe Bay Fire and Rescue and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office also joined in the search.

Much of the Oregon Coast saw massive waves – some as tall as 60 feet, according to the National Weather Service – as gusts of wind and high tides combined Thursday to bring flooding and sneaker waves to coastal towns.

By 7:15 p.m. Thursday, the Coast Guard had stopped searching for Alvarez, and he was presumed dead.

-- Anna Marum