Neighbors of Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48, were surprised to learn that the couple drowned on Thursday after being sucked into a rip current while on vacation with their six children in Florida.
“It sounds like a great relationship,” said Lauren Aldridge, a friend of the couple from Pennsylvania, told WPVI. “So we’re speechless about the whole thing.”
“He was a wonderful neighbor. We helped him with his dogs. He helped us with our dogs, with gardening advice and taking care of the yard. Really nice guy. Really nice neighbor,” she added.
The couple, of Chester County, Pennsylvaniadied after being caught in a dangerous rip current in Stuart Breach on Hutchinson Island.
Both the parents and two of their teenage children were swept away by the current, according to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.
“The children were able to break the chain and tried to help their parents, but it became too dangerous and they were forced to swim to shore,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a statement. declaration on Facebook.
Bystanders told NBC News that some of the couple’s children screamed from the shore, correctly advising their parents not to swim against the direction of the current, but rather parallel to the beach, until they could escape the current.
They did not receive the message, according to Martin County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy John Budensiek.
The couple “were in a panic and unfortunately it sank,” he said. told WPTV.
“A lot of people are local, they understand the tides,” he added. “They know what to do and what not to do. They know where to go into the ocean and where not to go. We receive these vacationers who arrive and unfortunately this ends badly for them. There is no way to get the message across to all of them.”
Earlier that morning, the sheriff’s office posted about a red flag warning for dangerous conditions in Stuart Beach.
Area beaches were closed Thursday following the incident, and the dangerous surf risk remains through Friday, according to Martin County Fire Rescue spokesperson Cory Pippin.
“With the ocean here, it doesn’t take long for you to get into trouble and for someone to end up in a potentially deadly situation,” he said. counted Palm Beach Post. “Always swim at a beach with a lifeguard and know your swimming ability.”
“It doesn’t take long for a family vacation or outing to turn tragic if you get caught in a rip current.”
