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Hero off-duty cop dies saving his own son, 14, from a rip as he’s dragged out to sea moments after rescuing his boy from the surging water

  • Off-duty police officer drowned after rescuing his teenage son from a rip
  • Tragedy unfolded on New Year’s Day at Bogola Beach on the NSW far south coast
  • Sydney-based police officer, 45, believed to be holidaying with family in the area
  • Do you know more? Email tips@dailymail.com 

An off-duty police officer has drowned moments after rescuing his teenage son from a ‘substantial’ rip at a popular beach on New Year’s Day.

The man was pulled unconscious from the water by lifesavers on Bogola Beach, near Narooma on the NSW far south coast, on Sunday afternoon.

Paramedics rushed to the scene and used CPR in a desperate attempt to revive the man, but he was pronounced at the scene.

The man, 45, has since been identified as a serving NSW Police officer based in Sydney, who was holidaying near Narooma with his family.

The hero off-duty officer, understood to be a sergeant from the north-west metropolitan region, rushed into the water after his  14-year-old son got stuck in a riptide, police said.

The man rescued the teen but was then was dragged back out to sea moments later and drowned. 

It’s the latest tragedy to rock the police force nationwide just weeks after Queensland constables Rachel McCrow and Matthew Arnold were shot dead while attending a remote property.

‘This is a tragedy that will cut through to the family, his friends and his work mates,’ Acting Inspector Paul Hoyer told reporters on Monday.

‘It’s devastating. It’s devastating at this time of the year and with the recency of the two deaths in Queensland, it brings home how dangerous policing is.

‘As a father, parent and as a police officer he was obviously doing what he should be doing.’

‘From what I understand, he was able to push his son out of the rip. He was then taken out to sea further in the rip and that obviously will form part of our investigation as we prepare a brief.’

Local lifesavers rushed to the unpatrolled beach in an inflatable rescue boat in an desperate attempt to save the man, according to NSW Surf Lifesaving 

‘It’s a really, really tragic incident and we have numerous cases each year … where someone goes into the rescue and they, in turn, become the victim and the person they went to rescue successfully escapes the rip they were caught in,’ Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said.

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Police launched an investigation and urged any witnesses to come forward.

Several Australians drowned during the Christmas and New Year holiday season. 

NSW lifesavers have already carried out a record 1000 rescues in the last week alone.

The off-duty officer drowned while holidaying with his family on the NSW south coast

The off-duty officer drowned while holidaying with his family on the NSW south coast

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