Heroic teen and family man sacrifice their lives to rescue kids from dangerous rip current in Gulf of Mexico

An Atlanta teenager and a family friend tragically died while on a family vacation in Florida. The two males dove into the Gulf of Mexico to rescue several children but lost their lives as a result.

On Thursday, 16-year-old Bryce Brooks and family friend Charles Johnson II, fondly referred to as "Uncle Chuck," were enjoying a spring break trip to Pensacola when disaster struck. They were on the beach in Perdido Key when four children whom they did not know got caught in a dangerous rip current and began drowning. Escambia County Fire Battalion Chief Steve Boothe claimed that the current was so rough that day that it dragged the unsuspecting swimmers 100 yards farther away from the shore.

According to Bryce's parents, Shivy and Crystal Brooks, Bryce immediately jumped in to save the kids and then Johnson jumped in to save Bryce. Thankfully, all four children survived the terrifying ordeal, but Bryce and Johnson never returned to shore on their own. Strangers eventually pulled them from the water, and they were airlifted to a hospital, where they were both pronounced deceased. The family reported that Bryce died from cardiac arrest.

"Being selfless, our son Bryce, while being pulled by the currents himself, literally called for help, not for himself, but he was calling for help for the little kids that he was looking out for," Shivy Brooks said. "Bryce is a hero. He literally saved the lives of four kids at the expense of his own."

Bryce was an honor roll student at Maynard Jackson High School in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoyed playing the piano and dressing in style. "Definitely into fashion," his mother recalled. "He was a member of the fashion club here at Maynard."

Though the grieving parents miss Bryce, they are comforted that he died a hero. "We’re never going to get to see Bryce grow up and be the full man that he was going to be," Crystal Brooks said. "But we know that he stepped into his manhood to save these children. That makes me proud. It doesn’t take an ounce of pain, but it makes me proud of our son."

"Uncle Chuck" Johnson was a married man with three sons, two of whom attend Maynard as well.

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