Kevin Roberts died attempting to save four youths from drowning, Bald Head Island, North Carolina, June 4, 2012. Four youths, aged 12 to 17, struggled to return to shore against a strong current in the Atlantic Ocean at Frying Pan Shoals. A member of their party on the beach, Roberts, 43, maintenance supervisor, was alerted to the situation. He entered the water and swam out to them, reaching them at a point about 750 feet from the beach. Roberts attempted to calm the youths and instructed them on how to escape the current. Overtaken by the current himself, Roberts was carried farther out. Another man from shore swam out with a small inflatable boat and reached one of the youths, a 14-year-old girl, who was apart from the others. As she held to the boat, the man paddled it to the other three youths, who were farther out. All held to the boat as they attempted to return to the beach, but they made no progress against the current. A rescue boat arrived about 30 minutes later and returned them to safety. Roberts was then found to be missing, and rescuers recovered him from the water at a point about a half-mile from shore. He could not be revived, as he had drowned.
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