Gustavo Briceno woke up Wednesday morning feeling something bad was about to happen, according to his family.



That night, Briceno was doing maintenance in a sewer when heavy rains sent a surge of water down the pipe where he was working and swept him away. He was found dead about two hours later, his body carried about a block away.



"He loved his job, but he said that he worried something would happen to him," said his sister-in-law, Imelda Alanis, 31. "He always said his workers would come up first in an emergency and he would come up last."



Briceno, 25, and another worker were inside the sewer in the 3000 block of North Rockwell Street when the area was hit by flash floods around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.



Briceno, employed by Kenny Construction, had removed his harness to reach a confined space and was carried away by the rushing water, according to police officials at the scene. The other worker was strapped into his harness and was pulled to safety, the officials said.



A police officer summoned help after driving by and seiing a frantic scene at an opening to the sewer, authorities said.