Juan Omar Chaidez drowned at Lavon Lake while kayaking off-duty.
DALLAS — Friends, family, and fellow firefighters are mourning the loss of Juan Omar Chaidez, a beloved Dallas Fire-Rescue officer whose body was found Monday at Lavon Lake.
Chaidez, known simply as Omar to those closest to him, disappeared over the weekend while kayaking off-duty with his dog. Authorities say he was not wearing a life jacket.
“He’ll be missed for a very long time,” said Wes Southard, a Dallas firefighter who worked alongside Chaidez at Dallas Fire Station 43. “We’re very tight-knit, and we’ve been tight-knit for a long time.”
The Station 43 crew escorted Chaidez from Lake Lavon to the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Chaidez served more than six years with Dallas Fire-Rescue, but those who knew him say he was much more than his career. He was a dog dad, a stand-up paddle boarding and kayaking enthusiast, a devoted son and a fiercely loyal friend.
“He loved his mom, loved his mom very much,” Southard recalled.
Chaidez’s connections stretched across the country, from Dallas to California, where he grew up. His best friend, Geremy Reese, called him “a kind, strong, loving human” who consistently put others before himself — even in the face of danger.
Back in 2017, Chaidez and a group of friends were at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas when gunfire erupted in what became one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. While chaos unfolded around him, Chaidez helped whoever he could.
“Every news report had him unmistakably helping somebody in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard to get to the hospital,” Geremy said. “But that’s just… that’s Omar.”
Those who knew him say Chaidez’s instincts and heart made him a natural-born first responder.
“He was just a genuinely good soul,” Geremy said.