Heroic father drowns after rescuing children from dangerous rip current at Florida beach
A father from Maine has died after saving his two children from a dangerous rip current at a popular Florida beach.
JUNO BEACH, Fla. – A man died last week while saving two of his children from a rip current while the family was vacationing in Florida.
On April 1, Ryan Jennings, a 46-year-old father of three from North Yarmouth, Maine, was visiting Juno Beach with his family when his two oldest children were swimming and were caught up in a rip current.
Jennings ran into the ocean to rescue his son and daughter, throwing one to shore while holding the other above the water, exhausting the father.
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According to the Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, lifeguards initiated a water rescue around 3:25 p.m. and assisted in bringing four individuals to shore who were not swimming in a guarded area.
Police responded to screams from a woman who said her husband was drowning near the 1000 block of Ocean Drive. When officers arrived on the scene, they found Jennings in the shallow shoreline area lying on his back unconscious with two bystanders trying to bring him to shore, according to the Juno Beach Police Department.
Officers Palacio and Curreri dragged Jennings onto the shore and began CPR once on land. He was transported to Jupiter Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.
"This incident underscores the importance of swimming at guarded beaches, where trained lifeguards can identify hazardous conditions, including rough surf and rip current formation, helping to reduce the risk of incidents before they happen," Palm Beach Fire Rescue said.
This isn't the first rip current-related death in the state. Just this weekend, a man died after getting stuck in dangerous waters in Pompano Beach.
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A GoFundMe was established for Ryan's wife, Emily, and their three children. The organizer said, "His heroic actions are a testament to the kind of person he was, and his loss leaves a tremendous void in the lives of everyone who knew him."
The National Weather Service has issued a high rip current risk through Friday for much of Florida's Atlantic coast, ranging from Jacksonville to Boca Raton.
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