SAN DIEGO, CA — The body of a man who was found off Pacific Beach early Thursday morning was identified as a firefighter from the San Francisco Bay Area, authorities said.
A missing swimmer was reported around 2 a.m. near Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, according to José Ysea, a spokesperson for the city of San Diego. The body was recovered around 4:15 a.m.
“A search was conducted for over two hours,” Ysea told Patch. “Lifeguards eventually came across the body just north of Crystal Pier in the sand.”
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The man was identified as 25-year-old Caeden Laffan, an Oakland Fire Department firefighter, according to the Oakland Fire Department.
The firefighter was on vacation with family and friends, Ysea said. He was in San Diego for the California Summer Firefighter Games.
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Laffan, a five-year member of the department, was a third-generation firefighter. His grandfather was a firefighter. His late father, Sean Laffan, served as assistant chief of the Oakland Fire Department. He was 42 when he died after suffering a heart attack in the line of duty in November 2020.
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