Apple Engineer, Father of Three, Dies in San Francisco Bay Boat Crash
Daniel Zhengyu Qin was among three individuals on board a vessel that struck rocks and capsized near the Golden Gate Bridge.
A 35-year-old Apple engineer and father of three has been identified as the sole fatality in a boat crash that occurred in the San Francisco Bay on Thursday. Daniel Zhengyu Qin was aboard a fishing vessel with two other individuals when it struck rocks and capsized near the Golden Gate Bridge's north tower shortly after 6 a.m., according to the Marin County Sheriff's Office.
Despite life-threatening injuries sustained by all three people on board, rescuers recovered them alive. Qin was transported to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries after prolonged resuscitative efforts, the sheriff's office stated. The Marin County Coroner later named Qin as the deceased.
An online fundraiser organized by a family friend described Qin as a "beloved software engineer at Apple, a devoted husband, and a loving father to three young children." He had an 11-year-old son and two daughters, aged nine and three. The fundraiser noted Qin was "kind, funny, and endlessly generous," and "always the first to show up when anyone needed help."
Qin and his wife, Yao Deng, resided in a $1.7 million home in San Diego, according to public records. The fundraiser aims to raise $200,000 to assist his family with funeral and memorial expenses, as well as ongoing living costs and emergency family expenses. As of Monday afternoon, it had garnered over $76,500.
Agencies involved in the rescue operation included the U.S. Coast Guard, the Southern Marin Fire Protection District, the San Francisco Police Department Marine Unit, the Sausalito Fire Department, and the Marin County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit. The Coast Guard reported its crew arrived approximately five minutes after the distress call and rescued two individuals, while the San Francisco Police Department rescued the third.
"Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the individual who lost his life," Captain Jarod Toczko, commander of Coast Guard Sector San Francisco, said in a statement. "While our crews and partner agencies worked together to bring all three people to safety, we recognize that this rescue ended in a heartbreaking loss."
The exact cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Marin County Sheriff's Office. A forensic post-mortem examination, including toxicology testing, is expected to be completed in the coming days. The manner of Qin's death is pending the outcome of the investigation.