LA firefighter ‘is the victim of a violent kidnapping’ on a trip to Mexico
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LA Mayor Eric Garcetti pleads for the safe return of veteran firefighter who is believed to have been ‘violently kidnapped’ from his Mexican condo
- Francisco Aguilar, 48, vanished during a trip to his condo near Rosarito, Mexico
- Police fear father-of-2 – who worked for the LAFD for 20 years – was kidnapped
- His property was found ransacked and his motorcycle and jeep were gone
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has pleaded for the safe return of a veteran firefighter who authorities fear was the victim of a violent kidnapping during a trip to Mexico.
Francisco Aguilar, 48, vanished more than two weeks ago after he travelled by himself to his condo – which is rented out on Airbnb – near Rosarito, Mexico.
Police fear the father-of-two – who is assigned to Station 44 in Cypress Park having worked for the LAFD for 20 years – was kidnapped after his property was found ransacked with tables overturned and his motorcycle and jeep gone.
Mayor Garcetti urged ‘anybody who would dare kidnap an Angelino’ to ‘let him go’.
Police fear missing Los Angeles firefighter Francisco Aguilar, 48, (pictured) was the victim of a violent kidnapping during a trip to Mexico
Police fear the father-of-two (pictured) – who worked for the LAFD for 20 years – was kidnapped after his property was found ransacked and his motorcycle and jeep gone
Addressing the press, he said: ‘We will work tirelessly to make sure that Frank is returned safely.
‘That this is somebody who has put his life on the line for us.’
He added: ‘And if this message gets to anybody who would dare kidnap an Angelino who serves the people of Los Angeles.
‘Let him go and make sure that he is able to safely return to our city and to his family.’
Mr Aguilar’s family say they have not received a ransom request, but police were left ‘concerned’ after obtaining obtained Ring camera footage from inside the home on the night he vanished
His family say they have not received a ransom request, but police were left ‘concerned’ after obtaining obtained Ring camera footage from inside the home on the night he vanished.
Authorities have not told Mr Aguilar’s worried daughters what the footage shows.
Adding to concerns, his phone is now turned off, his family say, an action not typical of the devoted father.
His daughter Bella told ABC News: We’re just so worried sick. Every day is getting harder. Anxiety is getting much worse as the days go on.’
Addressing her father, his other daughter Amaris said: ‘I will go to the ends of the earth for you. And I can’t wait until you get back so we can give you a big hug.’
Speaking of her father’s disappearance last month, Amaris said: ‘We were on FaceTime the other day and he was on the beach and just talking to about how it was so much fun and this was a little taste of what retirement would be like for him.
‘I just pray with every fiber in my being that my father returns to us.’
His daughter Bella (pictured) said: We’re just so worried sick. Every day is getting harder. Anxiety is getting much worse as the days go on’
Mexican authorities are leading the investigation into his disappearance with help from the FBI.
Last month, the family hosted a vigil at their home in Montebello and are seeking support during the trying times.
‘I don’t know if I can take it, he’s my first child,’ said Aguilar’s mother Martha Carmona Aguilar.
On Monday, Aguilar’s daughters asked Governor Gavin Newsom to get involved in the search.
Homicides are a common concern for visitors travelling to Rosarito and its surrounding locations after drug cartels caused a spike in killings between 2007 and 2010.
Since that point, murder rates have dropped but are still higher in this region than the rest of the county.
Tourists are not usually the targets of drug-related crimes.
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