Hero Dad Sacrifices Life for Kids in Rip Current

0:00A 46-year-old dad from Maine named Ryan Jennings lost his life on April 1st while saving his 12-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter. From a rip current off Juno Beach in Florida, the family was on vacation when the strong current hit during their afternoon swim. Jennings threw his son to safety first and told him to get help, then held his daughter above the water until rescuers could reach her. His wife Emily stayed on shore, building sandcastles with their younger daughter and a niece, unaware at first of the danger in the waves. Emily shared her heartbreak online, calling it his last gift to bring the kids back alive. She's 35, pregnant with their fourth child, and described their 12 years together as a rare kind of love. She was a single mom when they met and Ryan stepped up big, even taking in her son as his own. Lifeguards pulled four people from the water that day, though they don't usually patrol that stretch of beach. Conditions were right for rip currents, and despite efforts by police and paramedics, Jennings couldn't be saved at a nearby hospital.

1:03The family plans a scholarship in his name, $5,000 a year for a local student showing real selflessness, keeping his spirit alive, through the next generation. That's your Adelaide News today update, AI powered and always on.