Napa, CA – A Napa man was found dead Thursday evening after emergency responders were called to the Napa River’s Oxbow area for a water rescue, Napa Police confirmed.
At approximately 5 p.m., members of the Napa City Fire and Police Departments responded to a call regarding a potential water rescue near the river’s oxbow – a distinctive C-shaped bend located northeast of downtown Napa. The scene was situated behind the Oxbow Public Market and just east of McKinstry Street, where both patrol cars and fire trucks quickly arrived.
According to Napa Police Sgt. Dominic DeGuilio, approximately 10 firefighters worked together to pull a rope from the river toward the oxbow bank. By 5:23 p.m., the team had successfully retrieved the man’s body, which was placed into a yellow body bag. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, with authorities sealing off the area with yellow police tape. A small group of onlookers observed from a nearby market ledge as the recovery took place.
Shortly after the body was removed, an ambulance that had been stationed near the Oxbow Market departed the scene, its siren and lights turned off as it slowly made its way away from the area.
The Napa County Coroner’s Office later identified the deceased as 41-year-old Victor Farrer Aguiar, a resident of Napa. As of Friday afternoon, the cause of death had not yet been determined, with an autopsy expected to take place sometime next week.
Authorities continued their investigation into how Aguiar came to be in the river, with Napa Police stating that the circumstances surrounding his death remain under review.
This incident marks a somber moment in the Oxbow area, where both locals and visitors often gather at the public market and nearby spaces. The investigation continues as officials work to uncover more details surrounding Aguiar’s tragic death.