'Hero' father drowns saving his 12-year-old son from rip current at popular beach destination, family says

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Fox News correspondent Madison Scarpino reports on the death of a former police officer after he rescued five people from a South Carolina rip current on ‘Fox Report.’ Jason DeGray died a "hero," drowning in the Atlantic Ocean after plunging into a vicious rip current to save his son at a popular beach destination, his wife said. A good Samaritan who rushed from the sand to help was also killed, even as the child was pulled to safety. The man, a father of three from Windsor Locks, Connecticut, reached his son Bryce and pulled the 12-year-old to safety at Cocoa Beach before the current swept him out to sea on April 15, his wife told the Connecticut Post. DeGray "was a hero and an amazing dad and partner," his grieving widow, Meagan DeGray, told the local outlet. "He was a great father," she said. "He did everything for his kids. He was such a hard wor