A 35-year-old Apple software engineer, husband and father of three has been identified as the California man who died after a boat crashed in San Francisco Bay.
The fishing vessel, carrying three people, struck rocks and overturned near the Golden Gate Bridge’s north tower shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday, the Marin County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Marin County Coroner later identified Daniel Zhengyu Qin as the crash’s only fatality.
All three people aboard suffered life-threatening injuries, but emergency crews from multiple agencies recovered them alive after a 911 call was placed.
They were taken to a nearby hospital, where Qin died despite what the sheriff’s office described as “prolonged resuscitative efforts.”
An online fundraiser organized for Qin’s wife, Yao Deng, described him as “a beloved software engineer at Apple, a devoted husband, and a loving father to three young children.”
Created Friday by family friend Cathy Wu, the fundraiser remembered Qin as “kind, funny, and endlessly generous.”
Qin’s children include an 11-year-old son and two daughters, ages nine and three.
Daniel Zhengyu Qin, 35, was an Apple software engineer, married father of three and the sole fatality in the San Francisco Bay boat crash.
The boat reportedly hit rocks and capsized shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday while carrying three people. The vessel is shown after being towed ashore.
The vessel overturned near the Golden Gate Bridge’s north tower, leaving the two other occupants seriously injured. It is pictured being towed away from the bridge.
“His sudden passing has left his wife and children facing an unimaginable loss, both emotionally and financially,” Wu wrote.
“He got along effortlessly with his coworkers, his children looked up to him, and his friends adored him. He was always the first to show up when anyone needed help.”
Public records show that Qin and Deng lived in a San Diego home valued at $1.7 million.
The fundraiser has set a $200,000 goal. The money will help cover funeral and memorial costs, the children’s everyday expenses and emergency needs for the family in the coming months.
More than $76,500 had been donated by Monday afternoon.
The Marin County Sheriff’s Office said investigators have not yet determined what caused the crash that killed Qin.
A forensic post-mortem examination, including “routine toxicology testing,” is expected to be completed within the next few days, officials said.
The precise cause and manner of Qin’s death remain undetermined as the investigation continues.
A fundraiser described Qin as “kind, funny, and endlessly generous.” He is pictured with his wife, Yao Deng, in 2015.
The couple lived in a $1.7 million San Diego home, according to public records
The agencies involved in the response to the crash and rescue efforts included the US 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 said in a statement that its crew arrived about five minutes after receiving a distress call about the crash and that it rescued two people from the water, while the San Francisco Police Department rescued a 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 the 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. Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.’
