Man dies after he and 9-year-old are pulled from the ocean, NC beach town says
An Illinois man is dead after he and a child were pulled from the water off the North Carolina coast, officials said.
Carolina Beach lifeguards were starting their shifts on Monday morning when beachgoers told them two people were struggling in the ocean, according to town officials and WWAY.
A 52-year-old man reportedly was found unconscious and pulled out of the ocean. But officials said “life saving measures were unsuccessful on scene.”
A 9-year-old was also taken out of the water at Carolina Beach but didn’t need additional medical care, officials said Tuesday in a news release.
The deceased — as identified as Darren Gentry — was from Trenton, Illinois, roughly 30 miles east of St. Louis, Missouri.
Officials did not say if Gentry and the 9-year-old were related.
It’s not clear how the man died, but officials said in a news release that an initial investigation revealed “no suspicious circumstances.” The town is waiting for the N.C. Medical Examiners Office to release Gentry’s cause of death.
Rescue workers were seen blanketing the area, located near Harper Avenue and roughly 12 miles south of Wilmington, WWAY reported.
“As we came out here we noticed that there was a bunch of rescue trucks, police, EMT,” beachgoer Scott Nicholson told the TV station.
Carolina Beach Ocean Rescue didn’t immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment on Tuesday.
