Who was Pete Rosengren? Heroic media exec dies saving children from drowning during Florida beach vacation
An Illinois family is grieving the demise of their father after he lost his life while rescuing his sons and other children from a dangerous rip current in the ocean waters. According to The Daily Herald, Pete Rosengren died on Sunday, March 28, in the Gulf of Mexico while on a family vacation.
Rosengren, 42, was the vice president of sales and digital strategies for the Daily Herald Media Group. The media executive was vacationing in Florida with his wife Maura Rosengren, their sons Gavin, 14, Charlie, 12, and Grant, 7, and three other families, per the outlet.
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What happened that day?
Maura Rosengren recounted to the Herald how her family had driven from their Batavia residence to Florida, expecting to spend the week soaking up the sun together. The families reportedly headed to Miramar Beach on March 28. The beach was open, but the ocean was marked with a doubled red flag warning, indicating dangerous currents at the time.
"We had only had been there a couple [of] minutes. The kids ran into the water right away," said Maura about the tragedy. It wasn't long before her sons, along with the other kids, found themselves caught in a rip current. "It all happened so fast. I ran toward the water," Maura said.
Maura said her sons were able to help each other get to shore, but Pete noticed a friend's 9-year-old son was struggling and immediately sprang into action. "We could see one little boy couldn't get in and ... [Pete] went out there," Maura explained.
Pete Rosengren was able to rescue the child and passed him safety to the waiting arms of the other adults, but he was unable to save himself in the process. First responders brought him to shore and performed CPR at the scene before taking him to a hospital. Lifeguards also pulled out two other boys from the water in the meantime, per the report.
Pete's cause of death was unclear at the time of writing. According to the Herald, the medical examiner is still working to determine if the cause of his untimely death was by drowning or if he had a cardiac issue during the rescue.
Who was Pete Rosengren?
According to his LinkedIn page, Rosengren worked for the Herald and its media group for almost two decades before his untimely demise. Friends and colleagues told the Herald that they weren't surprised Pete would risk his life for others.
"Pete was always there for others — employees, peers, family, and friends. That was his DNA," Scott Stone, president and chief operating officer of Daily Herald Media Group, said in a statement. "Pete had an oversized personality, quick wit, humor, and unique compassion for others. It's no surprise his final minute was spent helping others."
"That was Pete. Such a hero. He gave you everything he could," his friend Joe Shaker, the president of Shaker Recruitment Marketing, told the Herald. "There isn't one person who doesn't have a Pete Rosengren story. He made you feel special. He lived as we all should live." Speaking to WMAQ, Shaker added: "He's one in a million. He is the perfect definition of a best friend you could ask for. He always put others ahead of himself all the way to the end."
Meanwhile, Douglas K. Ray, chairman and publisher and CEO of the Daily Herald Media Group, told the Herald how Pete was "great with clients, technologically savvy and smart... But more importantly, I know he was a great dad, husband, friend, and fellow colleague."