Eric Cespedes
Agency patch
Supervisory Border Patrol Agent

Eric Cespedes

Accident
End of Watch July 11, 2025
Age 37
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
The Vigil Panel 183 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Eric Cespedes drowned while attempting to save his children, who were caught in a rip current off South Padre Island, Texas.

Around 3:30 p.m., Agent Cespedes entered the water and pulled his children out of a rip current. When he returned to the beach, he collapsed. Despite immediate life-saving measures, he passed away at Valley Baptist Medical Center.

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Cespedes had served with the United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol for 17 years, assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, three children, mother, and four siblings.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-FCDD5164
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Tributes

I never knew you. I am standing here anyway.
Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Cespedes gave the United States Department of Homeland Security 17 years.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Cespedes.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdhscbpusbpfed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch July 11, 2025
Tour of Duty 17 yrs
Age 37
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Supervisory Border Patrol Agent Eric Cespedes is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In DC, 453 of 1,418 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 31.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol, 32 of 63 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 50.8% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of Homeland Security - Customs and Border Protection - United States Border Patrol
32
of 63 officers
50.8% Accident
DC — Statewide
453
of 1,418 officers
31.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Eric Cespedes's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Eric Cespedes Compares

Age at Death
37
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years
Years of Service
17
This officer
Avg for Accident: 9.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. Eric Cespedes is highlighted in Jul.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location