A father visiting South Florida from Maine drowned last week while saving two of his children from a rip current off the coast of Juno Beach.
Family members identified the man as Ryan Jennings, 46, from the Portland suburb of North Yarmouth.
“He was a great guy. He died saving his children,” said Steve Woods, Jennings’ father-in-law.
Woods said Jennings was a marketing executive in Florida to visit his parents. A GoFundMe account established to help Jennings’ family indicated that he was with his wife, Emily, and their three children when he died.
According to Palm Beach County Fire Rescue, the incident happened at about 3:25 p.m. on April 1 near beach access No. 16, just south of the intersection of Donald Ross Road and Ocean Drive.
Lifeguards do not patrol that part of the shoreline, the agency said.
A Fire Rescue spokesperson said Ocean Rescue lifeguards went into the waves to pull four people to shore. Paramedics took three of them to hospitals.
The GoFundMe post said Jennings was attempting to rescue two of his children from a rip current when he became caught himself.
What are rip currents?
Rip currents are narrow, channeled rushes of ocean water that flow away from a beach. They are commonly formed at low spots or breaks in sandbars and also near structures such as piers and jetties. The Juno Beach Pier stands about three-quarters of a mile north of the rescue site.
Conditions that day included low tide and an onshore wind from the east, consistent with the potential for rip current activity, Fire Rescue said. It urged swimmers to use guarded beaches, where lifeguards can identify hazardous conditions.
As of Tuesday, April 7, the GoFundMe page had raised more than $200,000 of its targeted $250,000.
Those interested in contributing to the GoFundMe account for the family of Ryan Jennings can go to www.GoFundMe.com and search for “Support for Emily Jennings & Family.”
Julius Whigham II covers northern Palm Beach County and public safety for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Father drowns saving children from rip current off Juno Beach
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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