A heroic Connecticut father drowned while saving his son from a vicious rip current while on a family vacation in Florida — with a stranger also dying while trying to help.
Jason Michael DeGray, a 42-year-old dad of three from Windsor Locks, jumped into the ocean in Cocoa Beach last week to rescue his 12-year-old son Bryce — but as soon as he got his son to safety, the rip current pulled him out, his wife told the Connecticut Post.
A 34-year-old stranger from Ohio, Ebony Mount, also drowned while trying to help save the boy, according to Cocoa Beach police.
DeGray “was a hero and an amazing dad and partner,” his grieving widow, Meagan DeGray, said.
DeGray said she and her youngest child were back at their Airbnb rental at the time of the incident, which she said was “super-traumatic.”
“Jason hated the beach,” the grieving widow said. “He went in because his son was struggling.”
Jason DeGray and Mount were pronounced dead at Cape Canaveral Hospital. Bryce did not require any medical attention.
The DeGrays’ eldest daughter, Bailey, a 16-year-old lifeguard, and a family friend were also helped out of the water after they tried to help.
“He was a great father,” Meagan said. “He did everything for his kids. He was such a hard worker.”
Jason’s funeral service is scheduled for Friday at East Windsor Community Funeral Home in East Windsor, Conn.
He spent 25 years working in the flooring industry and was a “die-hard” Raiders fan, according to his obituary.
“His children Bailey, Bryce, and Brynn were the center of his world, and he cherished every moment spent with them,” the obituary says.
