Oakland firefighter drowns while swimming off San Diego beach

An Oakland firefighter who lived with his family in Sacramento drowned early Thursday morning while swimming in the ocean off a San Diego beach, fire officials said.

Firefighter-paramedic Caeden Laffan drowned while swimming at Pacific Beach north of Mission Bay. San Diego Fire-Rescue Department said Laffan's body was found washed into the north side of Crystal Pier after a crew searched the area with a lifeguard boat and a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. 

Spokesperson Jose Ysea said emergency services personnel were called at approximately 2 a.m. by his family, who were gathered at the beach. After a search effort, rescue crews found Laffan's body in the sand at approximately 5 a.m., Ysea said. 

It was not immediately clear what circumstances led to the apparent drowning. However, Ysea said that lifeguards typically do not staff San Diego beaches in the early morning hours.

"It's pretty dark out there, and we really advise against (swimming)," Ysea said.

The Oakland Fire Department said details of what happened were still being investigated.

KSND San Diego reported family and friends of the victim, including other Oakland firefighters, were at the scene during the search and were present when his body was recovered. Ysea said that San Diego police, fire, chaplains and counselors offered support to roughly a dozen family members and friends who were at the beach, including Laffan's mother.

The Oakland Fire Department said Laffan was 25 years old and a five-year veteran of the department. He graduated from the Recruit Academy Class in 2019.  

"It's a tremendous loss, one that we're still grappling and trying to get our arms around," said Fire Chief Damon Covington at a press conference Thursday. "Anytime we lose a member of our family. Caeden was a rising star, very sharp individual. We had big plans for him, for his future, so it's extremely tragic."

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao posted her condolences to Laffan's family as the news of the firefighter's death spread.

"I am deeply saddened by the news of Oakland Firefighter-Paramedic Caeden Laffan's tragic passing," the post read. "My heart goes out to the Laffan family as I join them, our Oakland Fire Department, and our city in grieving the loss of an exemplary young man who helped keep our communities safe."  

The Sacramento Fire Department confirmed that Caeden Laffan and his family lived in Sacramento. The Stockton Fire Department additionally noted that he was a Stockton firefighter before going to Oakland to work with his father.

Laffan's father, Sean Laffan, was interim assistant chief of the Oakland Fire Department when he suffered a heart attack inside the department headquarters at Frank Ogawa Plaza and died at age 42 in 2020. Caeden Laffan's brother Cooper is an Oakland Fire Department recruit and his mother Sabrina Laffan is a fire department outreach specialist.

"We really are going to reach out and support our membership, but we're really going to reach out and support the Laffan family, " said Covington. "They've suffered such great loss, you know, it's almost incomprehensible how much loss you can really suffer and still remain standing. So we're going to support them every way we can."

Laffan was assigned to Station 3 in West Oakland. Covington some of his Laffan's colleagues learned about his drowning while they were battling an overnight warehouse fire.  

Laffan was in San Diego as part of the OFD contingent at the Firefighting Summer Olympics. The fire chief said he and chief of staff Michael Hunt were flying down to San Diego later Thursday to arrange for the transportation of Laffan's body back to Oakland "in the most dignified way we can."

Bay City News contributed to this report.

In:
• Drowning
• Oakland Fire Department