San Diego lifeguards have recovered the body of a young Oakland firefighter, who drowned in Pacific Beach overnight Thursday, according to authorities.
Caeden Laffan, 25, was found dead after a two-hour search for a missing swimmer near Grand Avenue that began around 2:15 a.m. He was in San Diego for the Firefighting Summer Olympics, according to Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington.
"Caeden was a rising star. A very sharp individual. We had big plans for him, for his future. So it's extremely tragic," Covington said. "He was very anxious to learn about every aspect of the fire department. He came up in the fire family. He was a third-generation firefighter so he understood what the fire service was all about."
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San Diego Fire-Rescue said Laffan's body was found washed into the north side of Crystal Pier, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue Lt. Rick Romero. Prior, a search team scoped the area via lifeguard boat and with a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.
It was not clear what the firefighter was doing in the water in the overnight hours. Covington said it would be premature to speculate but he was not alone at the time.
Family and friends of the victim, including other firefighters from Oakland, were at the scene amid the search, city of San Diego public safety services spokesperson José Ysea said, and obviously distraught when the body was recovered.
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Video from the scene showed a group of loved ones draping an American Flag over the body before he was taken away in an ambulance. Oakland's fire chief said many of their firefighters were in San Diego for the Olympic Games.
"They're still there, obviously grieving. We're expecting them back in town and we're preparing to receive them when they come back and have peer support ready for them."
The Oakland Fire Department said Laffan's mother was in San Diego and that his father was an Oakland Fire assistant Chief who died in the line of duty in November 2020.
"Caeden's father, Sean Laffan, was a decorated assistant fire chief who tragically died several years ago from a heart attack in administration in the line of duty. Caeden wanted to follow in his footsteps. Caeden's brother, Cooper, is in our recruit academy right now. And his mother Sabrina is one of our peer support outreach specialists. So they are deeply embedded in the Oakland Fire Department. It's a tremendous loss."
Members of the Oakland Fire Department, including the chief, were scheduled to fly to San Diego to recover the body, Covington said.
"The Laffan family and I sincerely appreciate the coordination and support of the San Diego Fire Department as our members continue to respond and grieve.”
San Diego Fire-Rescue Chief Colin Stowell said he was the one to break the news to Oakland's fire chief.
"I knew from our own experience of having to go through tragic accidents like this so I reached out to him and expressed my condolences, but also made sure that he knew that we would take care of his member just like one of our members down here, as well as the family," Stowell said.
An investigation into the death is underway. The circumstances of the drowning were not immediately clear.
