A Los Angeles County lifeguard died Sunday, authorities announced.
Ocean Lifeguard Derek Traeger with the L.A. County Fire Department’s lifeguard division had worked with the agency for six years and was last assigned to the beaches of Santa Monica North, officials said in a Twitter thread.
Traeger’s cause of death remained unclear, but L.A. County Medical Examiner-Coroner records indicated he died on a freeway. He was 28.
“OL Traeger understood better than most what it means to wear the red trunks. His passion for life, art, the ocean, and his lifeguard family was evident in every moment he lived,” the tweet read. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends, & colleagues of OL Traeger.”
No further details have been released.
Check back for updates on this developing story.