California firefighter, 25, drowns on trip to popular beach in front of his widowed mom just four years after his fire chief dad died on duty

A California firefighter drowned while traveling to San Diego with friends and family.

Caeden Laffan, 25, was swimming near the north side of the Pacific Pier south of La Jolla around 2 a.m. Thursday when he disappeared beneath the waves, KUSI reported.

The Oakland firefighter was in town for the California Firefighter Games, an annual event that brings together firefighters from across the state for friendly sporting competitions.

San Diego Fire-Rescue said it’s possible alcohol was involved and that the young man was immersed in waist-deep water before disappearing.

“We searched for several hours with a rescue boat, land units and a Coast Guard helicopter,” said San Diego Lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero.

Caedan (right) joined the Oakland Fire Department in 2019 and worked with his father Sean Laffan (left) for a year before dying of a heart attack on the job

However, it wasn’t long before Caedan’s body was found in the surf.

‘We haven’t been able to locate him. We were doing our last patrol of the shoreline and our lifeguard sergeant saw him. He had washed up on the beach at the north end of the pier. Unfortunately, incidents happen. And it’s just a sad story.’

San Diego Fire Chief Colin Stowell vowed to treat Caeden’s death as if he were one of his own children, and the young man’s body was seen with an American flag draped over it as local police and firefighters took him to the medical examiner’s van .

The Oakland Fire Department confirmed the 25-year-old’s death, calling him a promising young member of the force.

“Caeden Laffan was a young, enthusiastic member of the Oakland Fire Department with a bright future ahead of him, and we are all heartbroken today to learn of this tragic event,” said Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington.

The young man’s body was seen with an American flag draped over it as local police and firefighters led him to the coroner’s car

Caedan was swimming near the north side of the Pacific Pier south of La Jolla around 2 a.m. Thursday when he went missing, and his body washed ashore nearly two hours later.

“Our hearts go out to the entire Laffan family and all who knew him, worked with him and loved him. 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.”

His mother, Sabrina Laffan, was on the scene to identify him, just four years after her husband, Assistant Fire Chief Sean Laffan, died in the line of duty.

Caedan joined the Oakland Fire Department in 2019 and worked with his father for a year before dying of a heart attack on the job, according to KTVU.

The young man said at the time of his father’s death: ‘We could have worked together for about 10 years in the fire department. That was cut short to a year, but I enjoyed every second of it. That’s for sure.’

The Laffans are a firefighter family: Caeden’s maternal grandfather served as a firefighter, and his younger brother, Cooper, is now in the fire academy.

His mother, Sabrina Laffan (second from left), was on the scene to identify him, just four years after her assistant fire chief Sean Laffan died

The Oakland Fire Department described the 25-year-old as a promising young member of the police force

The Laffans are a firefighter family – Caeden’s maternal grandfather served as a firefighter and his younger brother, Cooper (center), is now in the fire academy

His mother often works for the Oakland Fire Department, where she provides mental health services to firefighters.

Chief Covington plans to support the Laffan family during this tragedy and flies to San Diego.

“We’re going to support our members, but we’re really going to try to support the Laffan family,” Covington said.

“They’ve suffered such a great loss. It’s almost incomprehensible how much loss you can really suffer and still be able to stay afloat, so we’re going to support them as much as we can.”