Crime & Safety
Colorado Man Drowns Off Oregon Coast Trying To Rescue Son
Robert Allen reportedly died while trying to pull his son Samuel from ocean surf off Rockaway Beach Wednesday afternoon. Samuel is missing.
ROCKAWAY BEACH, OR — A man from Colorado reportedly drowned while trying to rescue his 17-year-old son from the ocean after he'd been knocked from his boogie board by surf off the coast of Rockaway Beach Wednesday afternoon.
The body of Robert Joseph Allen, 50, of Fort Collins, Colorado, was located by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crew who was searching for both Robert and his son Samuel Vicente Allen.
The search for Samuel is ongoing, though Oregon State Police officials said they expect Samuel is also deceased.
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Oregon State troopers were dispatched to a water rescue at Rockaway Beach just before 2:30 p.m. June 6.
According to investigators, Samuel was riding a boogie board before waves knocked him off. Seeing him in apparent distress, his father, Robert, dove in to rescue him.
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After several minutes of waiting, the Allen family reportedly lost site of both Robert and Samuel.
This post will be updated when more information is available.
Image via Oregon State Police
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