At the end of The Hunter Games, there is the credit "In Memory of MATT RILEY 1971 - 2014".
Matt Riley died December 31, 2014. This may be the actor that Jared Padalecki refuses to mention by name, but keeps referring to his close friend who committed suicide on New Year's Eve, 2014. It is because of this unnamed friend Jared came out and admitted he was clinically depressed, and has started raising money for Always Keep Fighting. It is a fan's theory that Matt Riley is Jared's unnamed friend.
When the firefighter is downstairs, before becoming possessed, he does not have an axe. He has an axe in his hand when he comes barging into the apartment.