Father drowned in Florida floods after desperate call to wife

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 5 Nov, 21:04 · Archive

Joshua Bennett, 34, drowned in Palm Bay, Florida, after historic storms dumped up to 20 inches of rain in 12 hours.

Joshua Bennett, 34, died on Monday when his truck became submerged in floodwaters that tore through Palm Bay in Brevard County, Florida. He was on a coffee run when he became trapped in the rising water during historic storms that dumped up to 20 inches of rain in 12 hours.

Bennett called his wife Stacy on FaceTime moments before he died. 'He called me on FaceTime, and he was just crying like, "I don't know what to do, I don't know what to do,"' she told local NBC affiliate WESH2. He told her he was in the middle of a river with water all around his car. She urged him to break the window and escape, but the call dropped seconds later. Stacy then called 911 and spent hours trying to get help, but it was too late.

Bennett was a father of four—a son and three daughters—and had recently become a father to twins born prematurely. His widow remembered him as the centre of their family, saying he loved to bake and do activities with his children. 'Joshua was an amazing husband and dad,' Stacy said. 'He was super obsessed with them.' The couple had met while studying bio pre-med in college and married in 2020.

Bennett was one of two people who died in the Florida storms. Hundreds of other residents had to be rescued as the historic flooding swept through parts of the state.

How it is being reported

• Dad, 34, made desperate call to wife moments before he drowned in Florida flood: ‘I don’t know what to do’Joshua Bennett, 34, drowned in Palm Bay, Florida, after a historic storm dumped up to 20 inches of rain which led him to being submerged in his truck.New York Post · 5 Nov, 20:52
• Sobbing dad, 34, FaceTimed wife and said: 'I don't know what to do,' as floodwaters surrounded his car moments before he drownedFather-of-four Joshua Bennett, 34, died during the horrific floods which swept Florida this week. His heartbroken widow recalled their final phone call as the floodwaters rose around his vehicle.Daily Mail · 5 Nov, 15:25

In this story: Joshua Bennett · Stacy Bennett · Palm Bay · Brevard County · Florida

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log