KEY POINTS

  • A TSA Branch Manager became the latest victim to die from COVID-19
  • Acquisition Program Management office Branch Manager Alberto Camacho died on April 3, 2020
  • Francis “Frank” Boccabella III died on April 2, one day before Camacho's passing
  • Boccabella III was the first TSA employee to die from COVID-19

A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Branch Manager became the second victim to have died from COVID-19 amidst the surging positive cases among the agency's workforce.

Alberto Camacho, who works at TSA's Acquisition Program Management office, passed away on April 3 after testing positive for the virus.

“For over 20 years Alberto dedicated his career to both transportation and aviation security, and his contributions to TSA and our mission will never be forgotten,” the agency said in a statement.

A Transportation Security Administration departs a body scanner during a demonstration of new software in Arlington
A Transportation Security Administration employee departs a body scanner during a demonstration of new software that uses a stick figure to represent the passenger being scanned, rather than an actual image of the person, at the TSA Systems Integration Facility at Washington's Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, February 1, 2011. In another change, the passenger is able to review the stick figure on a screen with the TSA employee as he exits the scanner, opposed to the current scheme where an agent in a separate room views a high-definition image of the passenger. REUTERS

Camacho joined the TSA in 2005 as a Training Manager in San Francisco and later held positions in Security Operations, the Federal Air Marshal Service and Enterprise Support.

Prior to his death, he was a Central Region Deployment Branch Manager at the agency's Systems Integration Facility in Arlington, Virginia, the statement added.

The TSA also relayed the untimely death of another employee due to COVID-19 last week.

Francis “Frank” Boccabella III died on April 2 – one day before Camacho's passing – and the first TSA employee to succumb to the illness.

The 39-year-old Boccabella III was an Explosive Detection Canine Handler who served tirelessly, protecting the traveling public, together with his canine partner, Bullet, a 6-year-old German Short-haired Pointer, as well as his previous partner, Zmay.

ABC News, who viewed an internal briefing set by TSA Administrator David Pekoske, echoed the agency's grief on the loss of Boccabella III and Camacho.

“We mourn their loss but we celebrate what they have been able to contribute over the course of their time in TSA,” said the outlet, citing Pekoske's statement in the briefing, adding that the agency has begun to allow their employees to wear N95 masks, googles and surgical masks.

The TSA has acquired 60,000 sets of eye protection for its workers, Pekoske said.

As the vanguards of the traveling public, particularly air travel, TSA employees have a high risk of contracting COVID-19. Overall, 339 screening and non-screening officers have tested positive for the virus, while 17 have recovered.

The number of cases soared in the past 14 days as 46 screening officers contracted the illness, as well as 4 non-screening employees with “relatively limited interaction with the traveling public.”

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