‘My miracle baby’: Mom of drowning victim says boy loved dancing, football and the beach

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A family visiting Daytona Beach is mourning the loss of their 10-year-old son after he fell victim to dangerous beach conditions.

Lifeguards spotted Fred Nelson Jr. and two other swimmers caught in a rip current Saturday about 100 yards from shore.

His mom, TiUndra Wanton, said she watched the current take Fred as he tried to escape it and yelled for help.

"It was too strong. It was too strong. The wave… he couldn’t," she said.

Several people and rescue teams rushed to help Fred. 

Lifeguards performed CPR on the boy and transported him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. 

"They tried as well but the tides of the waves just kept going further and further out and I watched them pull Fred with them," she said. 

Wanton said the family, from Keystone Heights, was in town for Fred’s football game and decided to hit the beach after. 

She said the boy loved football, dancing and the beach.

"I called him my miracle baby because that’s what he was," she said.