By Madilynne Medina
SFGate
LOS ANGELES — The body of a 29-year-old firefighter from the Los Angeles Fire Department was found three months after he was reported missing, officials said.
LAFD said the firefighter, Connor Lees, was found off the waters in Long Beach on Friday. Lees was off-duty and diving in the Port of Long Beach with his friends when he first disappeared on Dec. 4, 2024, the fire department said.
The firefighter was freediving, CBS News reported, which is a technique that requires divers to hold their breath for a long time. He was in an area of the ocean that was at least 30 feet deep and wearing a mask, but he did not have a tank, Brian Fisk, a spokesman for the Long Beach Fire Department told the outlet.
After a 19-hour “highly technical search” the rescue transitioned to a recovery operation on Dec. 5, 2024, the Long Beach Fire Department said. The rescue was called off because of decreased visibility in the waters and the prolonged time since Lees was last seen.
Lees worked for LAFD for six years at Fire Station 94 B Platoon in the Baldwin Hills /Crenshaw area.
“The LAFD stands united in grief alongside Firefighter Lees’ family, friends, and colleagues. We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him,” the department said in a news release.
As of Sunday morning, a GoFundMe fundraiser from Lees’ family has raised over $75,000.
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