L.A. Firefighter may have been violently kidnapped in Mexico

A Los Angeles firefighter may have been “victim of a violent kidnapping” in Mexico, news outlets reported.

Los Angeles firefighter Frank Aguilar vanished last week in Mexico, NBC4 reported. He was last heard from Aug. 20, according to KTLA. He went to Mexico alone to check on a condo his family rents, the TV station reported.

His home in Mexico was ransacked, and his Jeep was missing, ABC7 reported. His phone was also shut off, according to the TV station.

Surveillance cameras showed people inside Aguilar’s condo before he was taken, KTLA reported. Mexico officials said he may have been violently kidnapped in Baja California, LA Mayor Eric Garcetti told NBC4.

“I want to say very clearly to anybody who would kidnap a member of our fire department that this is a member not just of our city government family, but of our community here in Los Angeles,” Garcetti said, according to NBC4. “We will work tirelessly to make sure that Frank is returned safely. This is somebody who has put his life on the line for us and we will do everything in our power… to ensure that law enforcement in Mexico has whatever support it needs.”

Aguilar has worked with the LAFD for 20 years, according to KTLA.