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Maine Father Dies Rescuing Two Children From Rip Current Off Juno Beach

Officials urge swimming near lifeguards during a stretch of dangerous rip current conditions.

Overview

  • Ryan Jennings, 46, was pulled under off Juno Beach after a Wednesday rescue attempt that got his 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter to safety.
  • Palm Beach County Fire Rescue said lifeguards launched a 3:25 p.m. water rescue and brought four swimmers from an unguarded stretch of beach to shore.
  • Juno Beach police said officers dragged Jennings from the shallows, performed CPR, and that he was pronounced dead at Jupiter Medical Center.
  • Forecasters explain that strong easterly winds and a near‑shore Gulf Stream create fast channels of water that pull swimmers away from the beach, raising rip current danger along this coast.
  • A GoFundMe organized for his pregnant wife and three children has raised more than $160,000, as officials note rip currents kill about 100 people in the U.S. each year and advise choosing guarded beaches.