{"id":803,"date":"2026-08-06T15:20:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/06\/20-year-old-son-dies-while-trying-to-save-father-at-beach-after-both-struggled-in-uncontrollable-rip-currents\/"},"modified":"2026-08-06T15:20:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-06T15:20:29","slug":"20-year-old-son-dies-while-trying-to-save-father-at-beach-after-both-struggled-in-uncontrollable-rip-currents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/2026\/08\/06\/20-year-old-son-dies-while-trying-to-save-father-at-beach-after-both-struggled-in-uncontrollable-rip-currents\/","title":{"rendered":"20-Year-Old Son Dies While Trying to Save Father at Beach After Both Struggled in \u2018Uncontrollable Rip Currents\u2019\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A family friend said Daniel Roberts and his son Dylan were caught in uncontrollable rip currents<\/p>\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/O3yuK2iqM-fFFEkPgu86C7v61dQ=\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)\/dylan-roberts-080526-e590d91294664d4caa6d1ee300dc0a97.jpg\" alt=\"Dylan RobertsCredit: GoFundMe\" title=\"Dylan Roberts\" \/><figcaption><i>Dylan Roberts<br \/>Credit: GoFundMe<\/i><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>A man and his son died in a swimming incident while vacationing at North Carolina\u2019s Holden Beach<\/li>\n<li>The victims have since been identified as Daniel Roberts, 46, and Dylan Roberts, 20<\/li>\n<li>A family friend said that Dylan went out to save his dad, who was caught in a rip current<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Family members and friends are remembering a man and his son who died in a swimming incident while vacationing at North Carolina\u2019s Holden Beach.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel Roberts, 46, and Dylan Roberts, 20, died after they struggled in the water at the beach on Aug. 2, authorities said. A family friend said that Dylan went out to save his dad, who was caught in a rip current. Despite first responders\u2019 efforts to resuscitate them, both victims died.<\/p>\n<p>Authorities said the incident occurred on Sunday, Aug. 2, at the 1100 block of Ocean Boulevard West, according to <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.charlotteobserver.com\/news\/state\/north-carolina\/article316747172.html\" data-type=\"\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>The Charlotte Observer<\/em><\/a><em> <\/em>and local affiliates <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wwaytv3.com\/he-made-people-better-friend-honors-son-who-died-trying-to-save-his-father-at-holden-beach\/\" data-type=\"\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-ordinal=\"2\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">WWAY<\/a> and <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wral.com\/news\/state\/authorities-identify-victims-who-died-after-ocean-rescue-at-holden-beach-august-4-2026\/\" data-type=\"\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-ordinal=\"3\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">WRAL<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Justin Davis, a family friend, told WWAY that, based on what he was told, Daniel was caught in a rip current and Dylan, who saw his father in trouble, went to save him.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the blink of an eye, they were in uncontrollable rip currents,\u201d Davis said.<\/p>\n<p>In a Monday, Aug. 3, news release shared with the <em>Observer<\/em>, Holden Beach Police Chief Steve Barger said, \u201cPolice, fire and EMS personnel responded immediately and initiated rescue and advance life support efforts. Despite those efforts, both individuals were pronounced deceased.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Barger also said, \u201cThe Town of Holden Beach extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims during this difficult time,\u201d according to WRAL. He added, \u201cOur thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragic loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Davis has since created a <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/support-for-roberts-family-after-tragic-loss-d3hjt\" data-type=\"\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">GoFundMe<\/a> to help the surviving members of the Roberts family.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn his father\u2019s moment of greatest need, Dylan acted without hesitation, courageously entering the water and ultimately giving his own life while trying to save him. His final act was one of extraordinary bravery, selflessness, and love\u2014Dylan died a hero,\u201d Davis wrote in the fundraiser description.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Davis told WWAY that Dylan had recently married his high school sweetheart, identified as Maggie Day. She reacted to the tragedy in a Monday <a class=\"null\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/maggie.day.335893\/posts\/pfbid0U2DMa67FZTtcRno3Ya1ZURUbZpML3JWVMexovPXrXky6xysasWKpEKsmJVs68c52l\" data-type=\"\" data-component=\"link\" data-source=\"inlineLink\" data-ordinal=\"1\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook post<\/a> addressed to her late husband.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201ci woke up just hurting for you and your dad,\u201d Day wrote. \u201cyou guys didnt deserve this. ive never had a good outlook on men, but your father always welcomed me as my own. you guys were alot alike. you both were so extremely selfless, and courageous. i cant believe we lost both of you, im still in such shock.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cdaniel just lit up every room he entered. always pulled the funniest but also cringiest dad jokes. he was such a good person and father, son, and husband,\u201d she continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cmy sweet boy, you were such a kind and funny soul. you always made me laugh and always knew how to comfort me when i didnt even know i needed it\u2026you helped me thru some tough times. thank you for taking care of me, always providing and being so hardworking,\u201d Day further added.<\/p>\n<p>Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/people-news-daily-newsletter-sign-up-8692701\">PEOPLE\u2019s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n<p>Davis wrote in the online fundraiser\u2019s description that both Day and the Roberts family are now facing emotional and financial struggles.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe road ahead is uncertain, and every bit of help will make a difference as they try to rebuild and heal,\u201d Davis wrote.<\/p>\n<p>As of Thursday, Aug. 6, the GoFundMe has generated over $36,000.<\/p>\n<p>The Holden Beach Police Department\u00a0and Davis did not immediately respond to PEOPLE\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A family friend said Daniel Roberts and his son Dylan were caught in uncontrollable rip currents Dylan RobertsCredit: GoFundMe NEED TO KNOW A man and his son died in a swimming incident while vacationing at North Carolina\u2019s Holden Beach The victims have since been identified as Daniel Roberts, 46, and Dylan Roberts, 20 A family [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-everything-else"],"wpmagazine_modules_lite_featured_media_urls":{"thumbnail":"","cvmm-medium":"","cvmm-medium-plus":"","cvmm-portrait":"","cvmm-medium-square":"","cvmm-large":"","cvmm-small":"","full":""},"categories_names":{"1":{"name":"Everything Else","link":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/category\/everything-else\/"}},"tags_names":[],"comments_number":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adsandthings.com\/winews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}