• The 19-year-old UC Berkeley student who died three days after a non-fatal drowning at the Alpha Delta Phi swimming pool has been identified as George Mauricio Salinas of San Diego. [Bay Area News Group]
• A fire was reported at San Francisco’s Chinatown Rose Park Station at Stockton and Washington streets at 8:53 pm Friday, which was resolved by emergency crews less than an hour later. [KRON4]
• Pop star Kesha made a surprise appearance at a bar in Palo Alto and began performing her 2009 hit “Tik Tok” Tuesday night before getting kicked out by security who weren't aware who she was. [SFGate]

• A coastal hazard alert has been issued along the Pacific Coast, effective through 10 pm Sunday, with potential sneaker waves and rip currents along with potential 13- to 18-foot breaking waves. [Hoodline]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A 39-year-old father and his seven-year-old daughter both drowned when hit by 15-20-foot waves swimming Friday near Big Sur, and after a hunt of nearly 48 hours, the young girl’s body was recovered Sunday afternoon.

We reported this weekend the awful news that a father had died by drowning and his five-year-old daughter was missing in an incident where 15-20 foot waves created unsafe swimming conditions at Garrapata State Beach about ten miles north of Big Sur. The father was quickly identified as 39-year-old Yuji Hu of Alberta, Canada, but authorities could not find the girl, despite searching much of Friday and Saturday.

The Monterey County Sheriff’s Office called in Cal Fire, the US Coast Guard, California State Parks officers, Monterey County Search and Rescue, the California Highway Patrol, and even personnel from the US Naval Air Station Lemoore near Fresno. The girl’s body still could not be found.

That is, until Sunday, as KTVU reports that the girl’s body was eventually recovered Sunday afternoon. Earlier media reports had incorrectly identified her as a five-year-old girl, and her name has still not been released. Her body was found roughly 100 yards offshore, about a half-mile north of where she was last seen swimming.

“Large-scale search operations were conducted throughout Friday, November 14, and Saturday, November 15, until sunset,” the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office said in a Sunday Facebook post. “At approximately 1:20 PM [on Sunday], a diver located a body roughly 100 yards offshore and about half a mile north of the child’s last known location. The diver brought the child to shore and notified State Parks. Monterey County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue assisted with the recovery. The Sheriff’s Office can now confirm that the recovered body is that of the missing child.”

There are sadly two people dead, but this could have been even worse. The child’s mother ventured into the water in an attempt to save her husband and daughter, and she was swept into the ocean herself, though managed to make it back to shore. They also had a two-year-old child with them at the beach Friday, who was unharmed.

Related: 19-Year-Old UC Berkeley Student in Critical Condition After Drowning at Fraternity House [SFist]

Image: Monterey County Sheriff’s Office via Facebook

A student at University of California Berkeley is in critical condition after drowning at an off-campus fraternity house around 11:30 pm Friday night. A preliminary report says the incident took place in the fraternity’s swimming pool, which is still unconfirmed.

As the Chronicle reports, the Berkeley Police Department announced the 19-year-old student was taken to the hospital after a drowning at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house on 2422 Prospect Street. The person was reportedly in critical condition as of Saturday. Per the Chronicle, the media is waiting for additional details from the police department.

Per KPIX, the Berkeley Fire Department performed CPR before taking the student to the hospital. The Berkeley Scanner, which pulled information from the police radio at the time, reports that the victim drowned in the fraternity’s pool and was taken to Highland Hospital. The Daily Cal also writes that the student was found unresponsive near the pool.

As the Scanner notes, the pool is a big selling point for the fraternity, as evidenced on its Instagram account.

The investigation is ongoing, and student counseling is available through University Health Services.

“Our thoughts are with the student, their family, loved ones and friends during this time,” said Adam Ratcliff, a spokesperson for UC Berkeley Student Affairs. “We are following our protocols to offer support to the student and their family. The safety and wellbeing of our students remain our top priority.”

"Alpha Delta Phi is aware of an incident at the University of California-Berkeley and is fully cooperating with the local authorities; our priority is the safety and well-being of all members and guests,” the Alpha Delta Phi’s national leadership told KPIX. “As this remains an active investigation, we are unable to provide additional details at this time.”

Update: The still unidentified 19-year-old student died from his injuries, as reported on Wednesday, November 19.

Image: Julian K/Google Reviews

• Major food brands are introducing products free of artificial dyes and flavors — including Cheetos and Doritos — alongside their original technicolor-hued varieties, thanks to a push from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., but doctors stress that the real danger in processed foods is the salt, sugar, and fat content. [CBS News]
• Jodi Smith, a teacher from Minnesota who recently moved to San Jose for a new job at Oak Grove School District received quite a shock when a mix-up with her background check labeled her as a convict, resulting in the immediate loss of her job. [KGO]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A 66-year-old man was found dead at the bottom of the South Fork Eel River right next to the annual Reggae on the River festival in Mendocino County, and authorities say the man was attending the festival and died by drowning.

We are in that phase of the year when we all too often hear of fatal drownings in NorCal rivers, and we unfortunately have news of another. The Bay Area News Group reports that the body of 66-year-old Robert Samuel James was found at the bottom of the South Fork Eel River in Mendocino County. James had reportedly been attending the county’s annual Reggae on the River festival on the first weekend of August, a festival which had returned in 2024 after a five-year hiatus.

James’s body was found on the second day of the festival (Saturday, August 2). And the Chronicle reports that the grisly discovery was made by a snorkeler with the nonprofit CalTrout, who do work on invasive fish removal.

Though the body was found about a mile and a half upstream from the designated festival area. “It remains unclear where he entered the river or why he was at that location south of the festival grounds,” Mendocino Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Captain Quincy Cromer told the Mendocino news site Redheaded Blackbelt.

Still, an autopsy has confirmed that James did indeed die by drowning. While he was not wearing a festival wristband when his body was found, a friend confirmed that he had traveled to the festival with James from Los Angeles, where James lived, and the two were reportedly affiliated with a festival vending booth.

“We are saddened by the discovery of a deceased individual in the South Fork of the Eel River, upstream from the Reggae on the River festival site,” the Mateel Community Center that organizes the festival said in a statement. “Our condolences go out to the family and friends affected, and we are cooperating with the appropriate authorities as they continue their work. We are awaiting more information from the proper authorities before commenting further.”

Related: Two Unrelated, Fatal Drownings Occur Within an Hour of Each Other Sunday In Russian River [SFist]

Image: Reggae on the River via Facebook

• SF’s first traffic report since the Upper Great Highway became Sunset Dunes Park shows congestion has shifted rather than spiked. Chain of Lakes Drive now sees 21% more cars, while traffic dropped along other routes. [Chronicle]
• After weeks of backlash and lawsuits, the Trump administration will release over $6 billion in previously frozen education grants — vital funds that support English learners, adult literacy, and after-school programs following pressure from GOP lawmakers and school leaders across the country. [Associated Press]
• San Jose and PG&E have reached a landmark deal to fast-track power for 10 data center and industrial projects, ending the city’s push for its own utility and aiming to spur growth while addressing environmental and transparency concerns. [KQED]
• A man suffered life-threatening injuries in a Saturday afternoon stabbing near Ocean Avenue and Lee Street in SF's Ingleside District; police arrested a suspect nearby and are investigating what led to the attack. [KGO]
• Sears’ Concord store will soon be the last one open in California, following the closure of the Burbank location — and one of just six remaining in the entire U.S. [KGO]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

The deceivingly strong underwater currents of Sonoma County’s Russian River tragically claimed two more lives Sunday afternoon in separate incidents in Monte Rio and Forestville, and one of the victims was a teenage boy.

It is unfortunately that time of year when we hear this kind of story, as the currents of Sonoma County’s Russian River are often deceptively powerful and sometimes deadly for swimmers. The Chronicle reports that two people died by drowning in the Russian River Sunday afternoon, in separate, unrelated incidents that happened within an hour of each other, and only about 11 miles apart. And more heartbreakingly, the first victim to die was a teenage boy.

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat has much more detail about the two drownings. The Gold Ridge Fire Protection District received an alert about a drowning at Monte Rio Beach at about 2:55 pm Sunday. A young girl and a teenage boy were reportedly swept up in the waters, and about a dozen beachgoers went into the river looking for them. The young girl was quickly recovered, the teenage boy was not found until 15 minutes later and was unresponsive. First responders frantically attempted CPR, but the teen was declared dead at the scene.

Not even an hour later and some 11 miles away in Forestville, another man was found unresponsive in the river. Medical personnel arrived and performed CPR, again to no avail. The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said the man was likely paddleboarding, but fell into the river, and was not wearing a life preserver.

In a statement to KTVU, Sonoma County Fire Deputy Chief Matt Windrem emphasized that people really should wear flotation devices on that deceptively powerful Russian River. "We can't stress enough that anyone around the water should have a flotation device,” Windrem said. “The water currents can change quickly. The depths can change quickly. And what seems like easy, placid water in one spot, could be rushing or much, much deeper."

The identities of the two victims have not yet been released, as law enforcement is still attempting to notify next of kin.

Related: Two Men Die By Drowning In Russian River In Four-Day Span [SFist]

Image: Guerneville Walking Bridge - This popular walking bridge allows the locals as well as the many tourist the opportunity to cross the Russian river in Northern California. (Getty Images)

Bodycam video from the Oakland Police Department shows a high-stakes drowning situation near the Lake Merritt Channel, but officers were able to rescue a man by jumping into the water themselves to pull him ashore.

The Oakland Police Department held a press conference Sunday regarding a recent incident where a team of officers saved a drowning man in the waters of the Lake Merritt Channel, according to KTVU.

The incident apparently happened last Sunday, September 29, just before 12:30 am, on the 300 block of East 8th Street, and an OPD officer’s body cam recording of the entire incident can be seen in the Facebook video below.

When the video begins, the man in the water has been lowered some rope, which he’s been able to grab onto, and officers are trying to pull him up the railing of a cement wall. But the man loses his grip of the rope. One officer immediately rips off his shirt and jumps into the water, and a second officer goes in as well. Once they have pulled him close to the shore, two other officers wade in and pull the man safely to land.

The victim appears to be unconscious when pulled ashore, but still breathing. He’s then wheeled away on a stretcher.

"I was just thinking of ways of how we were going to get to him," OPD Officer Jessica Menezes said at a Sunday press conference. Menezes was the second officer to jump in the water, following Sergeant Frank Negrete.

"Failure was not an option for us that night," OPD Chief Floyd Mitchell said at the news conference. "These are the types of stories as chief of police that I just love to talk about, the hard work and dedication these officers have."

As of Monday morning, KTVU is reporting that the unidentified man remains hospitalized, and police have still not determined why he was in the channel in the first place.

Related: Sonoma Sheriff's Deputies Save Woman Drowning in Russian River, She Assaults Them Anyway [SFist]

Image: Oakland Police Department via Facebook

A tragic day today for firefighters in both Oakland and San Diego, as four-year veteran of the Oakland Fire Department Caeden Laffan died by drowning in San Diego at about 2 am Thursday morning, while attending the California Summer Firefighter Games.

KRON4 had the sad news early Thursday that an Oakland firefighter died in a drowning incident just before 2 am near San Diego’s Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach Thursday. The San Diego Police Department received a call of a possible drowning at 1:56 am. San Diego Lifeguards and US Coast Guard crews swept the area, eventually recovering the victim’s body at 4:15 am. At that point, the victim was still unidentified.

But KTVU was the first with the nes that the victim was Oakland firefighter Caeden Laffan, a four-year veteran of that force. Laffan had a distinguished career playing football, and baseball at Sacramento’s Christian Brothers High School, joined the Oakland Fire Department in 2020, and was in San Diego attending the California Summer Firefighter Games.

He was 25.

NBC Bay Area reports the circumstances of the drowning are not clear, and an investigation is underway. Authorities did suggest alcohol may have played a role.

The death put a dark cloud over the San Diego Police Department, having to inform Oakland Fire Chief Damon Covington that one of his firefighters had passed away in their jurisdiction.

"All of our firefighters are part of our family," San Diego Fire Department Chief Colin Stowell told KTVU. "It doesn't matter what agency they work for. I just wanted to give my condolences to him and my pledge to make sure that he knew we would treat his firefighter like one of our own down here."

KTVU also has the tragic footnote that Laffan’s father was Oakland Fire Department Assistant Chief Sean Laffan, who died on the job of a heart attack in November 2020, when Caeden Laffan had just joined the force as a probationary firefighter. Father Sean Laffan was only 42 years old at the time, and the two had looked forward to working together for years.

"We had about 10 years we could have worked together in the fire department," Caeden Laffan told KTVU the time. "It got cut short to a year but I loved every second of it, that's for sure."

Related: San Francisco Firefighter Dies During Routine Training In Mission District [SFist]

Image: @OaklandFireCA via Twitter

A child drowned in Alameda Creek on Memorial Day, and despite the efforts of the first responders, that child died at the hospital. We’re now learning she was 11-year-old Dana Nino Gonzalez.

KTVU has the heartbreaking story of a child drowning in Alameda Creek on Memorial Day, at a portion of the creek near Niles Canyon Road, a couple miles northeast of Fremont. The incident happened just before 6 pm on that Monday, May 27, and while the child was rescued from the water, she died at the hospital while being treated.

Now nine days later, we are now learning the child’s identity. KTVU reports the drowning victim was 11-year-old Dana Nino Gonzalez, who died despite the efforts of Fremont police and fire department personnel, as well as several community members who jumped in the creek to try and save her.

“Through their combined efforts, first responders rescued Dana from the creek,” the Alameda County Sheriff's Office posted on Facebook Tuesday night. “Paramedics rushed Dana to Washington Hospital, where medical staff continued lifesaving measures. Unfortunately, Dana did not survive.”

The young Gonzalez found herself stuck in a hole in the flow control structure in the creek, according to KPIX. The Alameda County Sheriff's Office says they’re investigating the matter further.  

“This tragedy saddens us,” that office adds. “We'd like to remind you of some safety measures to follow as you enjoy warm-weather activities near waterways. Adhere to posted warning/caution signs, make a safety plan, wear safety equipment such as a life jacket, never swim alone, and avoid getting in the water if you cannot swim or are unfamiliar with weather and water conditions.”

Related: Body of Boy Swept Away In Russian River Has Been Found [SFist]

Image: Alameda County Sheriff's Office via Facebook

A Russian River rescue mission went bizarrely Sunday, as a woman trapped in the river got violent with the very sheriff’s deputies and medical personnel who saved her life.  

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat had a Sunday night story about a successful rescue of a woman who had to be pulled from Russian River in Guerneville not long after 4 pm Sunday afternoon.  She was seen clinging to a bush while the current was fast and the waters were cold, and two Sonoma County sheriff’s deputies jumped into the waters to save her.

This all happened in the area of Johnson's Beach.

She was eventually saved, as were the two deputies who went in after her. It sounded like a fairly normal, and fortunately successful rescue operation.

But there was a twist that made this operation not at all normal. The Chronicle reports the woman allegedly tried to attack both deputies, and even reportedly tried to drown one of them while they were trying to save her.

A Monday Facebook post from the Sonoma Sheriff notes then even after the woman was rescued by boat and then hospitalized for unspecified injuries, she “continued to assault first responders and medical personnel."

KPIX identified the woman as Lacey Mosher, which was confirmed by the Sonoma Sheriff’s Facebook post.

Per KPIX’s account, deputies received a 911 call that someone was being swept down the river, and discovered Mosher clinging to a bush. Sergeant Gary Lawson removed his gear and jumped in after her, and once he reached her, she reportedly started fighting with him. Deputy Cody McCready joined in the water rescue, and she allegedly fought him too, before they got her in a boat to safety. The two officers were separately rescued from the water afterwards, and one had to be treated for exposure.

"In line with our culture of service over self, Sergeant Lawson and Deputy McCready heroically risked their lives to save someone," Sheriff Eddie Engram in the department’s Facebook post. "They exemplify what it means to be a Sonoma County deputy sheriff."

Charges against Mosher were not announced, but the Sonoma Sheriff’s statement says, "She will be arrested on multiple charges."

Related: Body of Missing San Jose Hiker Found in Stanislaus National Forest Swimming Hole [SFist]

Image: Sonoma Sheriff via Facebook

We now know the identities of the 18-month-old and 16-month-old who died by drowning while unattended at the Happy Happy Home daycare center in San Jose, and the operators of the center have been charged with felony child endangerment.

It was October 2 when the tragic news broke that two toddlers had died by drowning, plus a third was hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries, at a home-operated San Jose daycare center called Happy Happy Home. The children were allegedly unsupervised when they fell into a pool. This past Friday, the mother-and-daughter co-owners Shahin Gheblehshenas and Nina Fathizadeh were both charged with criminal negligence and felony child endangerment resulting in death, according to Hoodline.

We soon learned who the children were, and their grieving families have posted remembrances online. According to a GoFundMe, one of the victims is 18-month-old Payton Cobb. “In the short time Payton was with us she blossomed into a beautiful, energetic, joyful, and very personable little girl,” the GoFundMe campaign says. “She brightened every day for (parents) Jacob and Anjel. We have no words to describe the grief that their family is experiencing right now."

Lily Jade's Celebration of Life from Promote Her Business on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, the family of 16-month-old victim Lillian "Lily" Jade Hanan created the above video for her Celebration of Life. “Lily Jade was a miracle baby for Josephine and Scott Hanan after more than 15 years of trying. She was born in Savannah, GA and openly adopted at birth,” the family wrote in an obituary. "Lily knew Baby American Sign Language and her first signs were ‘light on’ and ‘light off’. She routinely used ‘lights off’ to request her parents to ‘turn off the sun’. She was estimated to be just a few weeks from speaking verbally."

A third victim, a 2-year-old boy, survived after reportedly also being found floating in the pool with the two girls.

According to San Jose police, they received a call at 9 a.m. reporting the drowning. Gheblehshenas was at a different daycare facility at the time of the drowning, and Fathizadeh was the only worker present. She was making breakfast when the unattended children fell into the pool. The main issue, reportedly, was that a protective fence with a gate around the pool had been left open for someone to water plants.  

“There is a responsibility to watch over little children in your care like a hawk,” Santa Clara District Attorney Jeff Rosen said in a statement. “Now it is our responsibility to make sure that these defendants are held accountable for this avoidable and heart-breaking tragedy.”  

Gheblehshenas and Fathizadeh are both scheduled to be arraigned on December, 2023, at the San Jose Hall of Justice.

Related: Mother, 7-Year-Old Son Found Dead in Water Off Monterey County Coast in Suspected Drownings [SFist]

Image via GoFundMe

28-year-old Devin Brewer of San Jose had been missing for two weeks, and his body was found by another hiker Sunday in a popular but deadly swimming hole in the Stanislaus National Forest.

A San Jose man had not been seen since May 14, when he jumped into a swimming hole known as “God’s Bath,” and never surfaced again. The Sierra Nevada news source Mother Lode reported that the search for 28-year-old Devin Brewer was suspended four days later, with Tuolumne County Sheriff’s spokesperson Jacob Ostoich telling the site, “Given the fast-moving current and the rocky conditions, there is a possibility he could be stuck under a rock. If that’s the case, [the search is] just too dangerous because of the conditions.”

That search is now over, and the news isn't good. The Bay Area News Group reports that another hiker found Brewer’s dead body not far from that swimming hole this past Sunday afternoon.

The news group adds that “Brewer was a graduate of the University of Virginia, where he had been on the track team, competing in hurdles and 400-meter relay. His LinkedIn page said he was working in information technology for the aerospace and defense company General Dynamics.”

In a chilling footnote, two other Bay Area outdoors enthusiasts also died at the same swimming hole  — exactly one year to the day before Brewer jumped in and never surfaced. “Exactly a year before Brewer’s disappearance — May 14, 2021 — two other Bay Area men drowned in God’s Bath,” according to the Bay Area News Group. “They were identified as Benedict Rozario, 20, of Pittsburg, and Rinoel Villena, 25, of Daly City.”

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A post shared by Tuolumne County Fire (@tuolumnecountyfire)

Even more eerily, just the day before Brewer’s disappearance was reported, the Tuolumne County Fire department posted an Instagram message saying, “we want to remind you that rivers are inherently dangerous places to recreate. The water can be high, swift and cold as mountain snowpack melts, making staying in control and hypothermia real risks. Logs and rocks, both visible and hidden, pose navigation hazards.”

Along with the message, they posted the American Red Cross’ tip for Swimming Safely in Lakes, Rivers & Streams.

Related: Remains of Missing Berkeley Runner Philip Kreycik Likely Found In Pleasanton [SFist]

Screenshot: MrJaredbenge via Youtube

The final moments of San Francisco resident Roni Avila’s life were spent saving his five-year-old daughter after their kayak overturned Sunday afternoon in the Sacramento River near Rio Vista. The Associated Press reports that the 40-year-old father was kayaking with his daughter when the vessel flipped, and he carried her on his shoulders until a jet skier noticed them and rescued the girl. The father went back underwater after the daughter was saved, and did not surface alive again. A later update from the AP noted that the accident took place at the Brannan Island State Recreation Area in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

The incident occurred around 2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon, according to the Chronicle. Avila’s body was recovered by Solano County Office of Emergency Services and Coast Guard divers around 11 p.m. Sunday night. His name was not immediately released because the next of kin had not been notified, but late Monday morning CBS 13 in Sacramento identified the man as Avila.

#032717CR1 UPDATE One victim has been rescued non life threatening injuries second victim unc not breathing in surf RESCUE IN PROGRESS pic.twitter.com/4quBabmeQ1

— San Francisco Fire (@sffdpio) March 28, 2017

A man is presumed dead Tuesday morning, after both official rescuers and an imperiled good Samaritan tried and failed to pull him from the surf off San Francisco's Baker Beach.

Bay City News reports that rescue crews were called to Baker Beach at 6:50 p.m. Monday on reports of "a person screaming for help."

When crews arrived, they discovered a 22-year-old man in the water, who "said he was attempting to help another man who was stuck at rocks below the cliff."

Rescuers pulled the first man from the waves with rope. The second man, who the San Francisco Fire Department says via tweet appeared not to be breathing, remained in the water

Struggle as they might, SFFD spokesperson Lieutenant Jonathan Baxter said at a media briefing Monday that "strong surf and strong undertow conditions" kept crews from getting near the second man, and at 7:50 he was submerged from view.

According to NBC Bay Area, crews continued to search for the man in the water until 11 p.m. Monday, but were unable to find him.

The 22-year-old who was rescued did not know the second man, Baxter says, and was apparently just a good Samaritan attempting to save the victim. He was not injuried in the incident, Baxter says.

According to Baxter, tide patterns off the San Francisco coast mean it's unlikely the body will be immediately found, as remains "normally take about two weeks to emerge from the ocean, if at all." As of Tuesday morning, officials did not have any public information to provide on the identity of the deceased.

Related: High Tides Strand Early-Morning Climber On Rock Face Near Sea Cliff