Father of 3 drowns saving children from rip current on Florida vacation

A Maine man died last week saving two of his children from a rip current while their family was on vacation in Florida, family and friends said.

Ryan Jennings was out swimming in Juno Beach on Wednesday as a family when he, his 12-year-old son, and 9-year-old daughter were caught in a rip current, according to Bangor Daily News. His wife, Emily Jennings, told the newspaper that he threw their son towards the shore and held their daughter above his head as they swam.

“He made sure they made it out alive,” Emily Jennings said. “He truly was our hero.”

She also told the outlet that the couple had found out she was pregnant with their fourth child just before they flew to Florida.

Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Ocean Rescue confirmed its lifeguards had a water rescue at 3:25 p.m. near Juno Beach on Wednesday, but could not confirm names due to medical privacy laws.

Four people swimming in an unguarded area were brought to shore and transported to a local hospital. Conditions that day were “consistent with the potential for rip current activity.”

A rip current is a narrow channel of fast-moving water and is different than a rip tide, which is specific to water moving through inlets and the mouths of estuaries, embayments, and harbors, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. An estimated 100 people die in rip currents annually, the agency said.

“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,” the rescue agency said.

Ryan Jennings’ mother, Gail McLaughlin Toti, thanked the first responders and medical personnel for their efforts to save the family in a post on Facebook Sunday. She wrote that she would forever remember their kindness and compassion.

A GoFundMe started to help provide for her and their three children described Ryan Jennings as her “soul mate” and a loving father. More than $167,000 was raised on the platform for the family by Monday morning.

“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 GoFundMe said.

Michael Carney, a friend, wrote in a tribute on Facebook that Ryan Jennings grew up in Massachusetts but moved to Maine to raise his family after meeting his wife 10 years ago.

“In an instant your family’s life had changed,” he wrote. “We wanted you to know you’ll always be that hero, you’re selfless act of courage saving you’re children before you were taken from us.”

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