Alameda County Firefighter Whose Racist Rant Was Caught on Video Is Put on Leave

A video of an off-duty Alameda County firefighter making racist comments to a driver after the two were involved in a collision racked up more than half a million views on TikTok, prompting the department to place the firefighter on paid administrative leave.

In a video posted Friday by the driver, known as Vath Touch, on TikTok, a man approaches Touch’s vehicle and accuses him of being at fault after the crash on Highway 99 in Lodi. He makes racist comments, asking, “What are you?” and inquiring whether Touch is Mexican or Filipino.

“I’m no f—ing racist. I’m a f—ing firefighter,” the man, wearing a shirt with an indiscernible fire department logo, appears to say later in the four-minute video.

The Alameda County Fire Department confirmed the man is one of its members, and Fire Chief William McDonald denounced the “embarrassing” behavior by the firefighter, who has not been identified, at a press conference on Monday.

“What you saw on the video does not in any way reflect our dedication to integrity, professionalism, and community trust,” McDonald said. “We hold ourselves to the highest standards, and this incident has fallen short of those expectations. Our goal is to ensure that we continue to serve our community with the highest level of respect, both on and off duty.”

He told reporters that the department would take “a critical look inward” and assess its training and guidance for personnel, including plans to improve its sensitivity training and conduct community outreach.

The firefighter, who has been with the department since 2004, is on paid leave while law enforcement and the department investigate the situation, according to McDonald. Based on its findings, further disciplinary action could be taken.

“We will investigate the incident, and we’ll take the appropriate actions with our employee, whatever that turns out from the findings,” McDonald said.