LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles Fire Department is mourning the off-duty death of Firefighter Antonio Acevedo, the second department member to die in recent weeks.
Acevedo died July 31, according to the LAFD. The three-year department veteran was found dead in a vehicle, according to the medical examiner's office, but no details about the circumstances of his death have been released.
The medical examiner's office deferred a determination on the cause of death pending additional testing.
"Every member of this department carries the weight of this loss," LAFD Chief Jaime Moore said in a statement. "Antonio was part of our family, and his passing leaves a void that will be felt across every station."
Moore said the department's immediate focus is supporting Acevedo's family and the firefighters who worked alongside him.
The LAFD is providing peer support and other resources to Acevedo's family and department personnel affected by his death.
The matter remains under investigation, and the department said it would not release further information at this time out of respect for Acevedo's family and the investigative process.
Acevedo's death came one week after off-duty LAFD Firefighter Stan Reza, 35, was killed in a crash on the northbound 605 Freeway near Beverly Boulevard.
Reza, also a three-year department veteran, was driving a pickup truck that collided with a big rig at about 2:20 a.m. July 24, according to the California Highway Patrol. He died at the scene from blunt traumatic injuries.
City News Service contributed to this report.
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