Oakland man dies looking for cat OAKLAND

Oakland firefighters were searching for a man who may have fallen into a body of water at an old rock quarry Tuesday night. Oakland firefighters were searching for a man who may have fallen into a body of water at an old rock quarry Tuesday night. Photo: CBS San Francisco Photo: CBS San Francisco Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Oakland man dies looking for cat 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

An Oakland man who went missing Tuesday night while looking for his cat was found dead early Wednesday in a water-filled quarry near his home, authorities said.

Andrew Malyon, 59, left his home on the 4400 block of Montgomery Street around 7 p.m. to look for his cat behind his house, said Emon Usher, Oakland fire battalion chief.

When Malyon didn't return, a friend went to search for him but found only a flashlight and reported him missing.

Rescue workers arrived and began to search the quarry behind Malyon's house near the Rockridge Shopping Center. Some workers searched the water, while others rappelled down the hillside as a California Highway Patrol helicopter used lights to illuminate the area, Usher said.

Crews didn't immediately find Malyon, though they did see his cat walking on the hillside, apparently not in distress, Usher said.

After two hours, the Alameda County sheriff's recovery team took over the search and eventually found Malyon around 12:45 a.m. Wednesday, Usher said. He was taken out of the water and declared dead at the scene.