HUTCHINSON ISLAND, Fla. — Heartbroken neighbors on Friday described a Pennsylvania man who drowned, along with his girlfriend, off Stuart Beach as a "very considerate" friend who loved his children.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office said Brian Warter, 51, and Erica Wishard, 48, were vacationing with their six children on Hutchinson Island when they got caught in a powerful rip current on Thursday near the 100 block of Northeast Tradewind Lane.
Lifeguards pulled the couple from the water. But tragically, Warter and Wishard passed away at Cleveland Clinic Martin North Hospital.
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"He was warm. Very considerate. Bright man. Loved his children. Was very patient with them," said Susan Verdecchia, Warter's neighbor in a suburb of Philadelphia.
Verdecchia said Warter and Wishard had been dating for a couple years and had six children from separate relationships.
"He was a wonderful father and a really good neighbor. And we are very, very sad. And we're gonna miss him," Verdecchia said.
Region Martin County
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Neighbor Lauren Aldridge said the couple had a "wonderful relationship," adding that their entire community is in shock.
"I feel awful for the boys," Aldridge said. "Brian was a great dad. He'd always be out here helping the kids, showing them how to mow the law. Things like that. So we just are feeling awful for the boys."
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When Warter and Wishard went into the ocean on Thursday, a red flag warning was in place, indicating rough surf and strong currents. However, the couple was staying at a timeshare and swimming at a private, unguarded beach, several hundred yards away from lifeguards and those red flags.
"One of the children of the deceased was trying to yell them instructions of how to swim parallel to the shore. Don't fight," said Chief Deputy John Budensiek with the Martin County Sheriff's Office. "But they were in panic mode and, unfortunately, went under."
Following the tragedy, lifeguards began flying double red flags on Thursday, meaning no one was allowed in the water.
Martin County Fire Rescue once again on Friday issued a red flag warning for Stuart Beach, Jensen Beach, and Hobe Sound Beach, cautioning people on its Facebook page about "large 4- to 6-foot surf and a strong to extreme rip current risk."
"Please do NOT enter the water if unsure of swimming ability and if you do, use a flotation device and stay close to shore. Always swim near a lifeguard," the agency posted on social media.
