Daniel Zhengyu Qin, a 35-year-old Chinese software engineer at Apple, tragically lost his life recently after the fishing boat he was on struck a reef near the Golden Gate Bridge. Friends have launched a GoFundMe campaign for his wife and three young children, raising $70,000 as of the 21st.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Qin, a San Jose resident, was an Apple software engineer and a father of three. He had set out on a fishing trip with two others early on the morning of the 17th. Shortly after 6:00 a.m., their boat struck a reef at Lime Point, near the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, and began to capsize, throwing two of the men into the water.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported receiving a distress call at approximately 6:08 a.m., with a rescue boat arriving about five minutes later. By then, two men were in the water while the third remained on the vessel, which was wedged against the rocks and gradually capsizing. All three were found alive and wearing life jackets.
The Coast Guard rescued two of the men, while the third was pulled from the water by the San Francisco Police Department’s marine unit. They were brought to shore in Marin County for emergency treatment before being transported to a hospital. Despite rescue efforts, Qin passed away, while the other two passengers survived with serious injuries.
The police department’s major accident investigation unit is looking into the cause of the collision. The Coast Guard noted that while there was some fog affecting visibility, other weather conditions were generally normal; the cause of the accident has not yet been determined.
Following the accident, a friend of Qin’s, Cathy Wu, launched a fundraiser benefiting Qin’s wife, Yao Deng. The fundraising page reveals that Qin is survived by three young children: an 11-year-old son and two daughters, aged 9 and 3. The fundraising page describes Qin Zhengyu as a devoted husband and a loving father; he was kind, humorous, and helpful, getting along well with colleagues and always being the first to lend a hand when friends were in need. He frequently passed on outgrown children’s items to other families and shared his fishing catches with friends.