19-Year-Old Saves Sister Before Drowning, Says His Family: ‘Died a Hero’

A family is hailing their loved one as a hero after the 19-year-old man apparently drowned while saving his younger sister in Miami Beach.

As reported by the Miami Herald, the victim, later identified as Victor Castaneda Jr., 19, and his sister were last seen going into the ocean at South Point Beach in the early evening of Saturday, Nov. 9, when they were overtaken by a rip current. 

Good samaritans were able to rescue the sister but could not find Castaneda, according to local NBC affiliate WTVJ.

"They had just gotten in the water. As the sun was setting, they got caught in a rip current. They became distressed and yelling for help," Castaneda’s older sister Jessica later recalled of her siblings to WTVJ.

A witness, Marcus Pearson, told Fox affiliate WSVN that someone approached him as they were trying to find a lifeguard. 

“I heard screaming, but I think the people they were with on the shoreline didn’t know they were in trouble,” Pearson said. “And he said a bunch of us went into the water, and somebody didn’t come back out. There was a young lady that was part of the group, and she was screaming, ‘Where’s my brother? Where’s my brother? He didn’t come back out. Where is my brother?’ So at that point, we knew there was somebody still missing in the water.”

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Jessica said that her siblings were struggling in the water.

“Before he was submerged, he threw my sister, because he told her they were gonna die, and he threw her, and that was the last she saw of him,” she told WTVJ.

WSVN reported that authorities searched for Castaneda on Saturday, Nov. 9, and Sunday, Nov. 10, but were unsuccessful. They resumed their search in the water on Monday, Nov. 11.    

“I’m just devastated,” said Victor Castaneda Sr., the victim’s father, according to WSVN. “There’s not much to say.”

Jessica told WTVJ that her brother “died a hero.”

“They say his body could've traveled south and we're just hoping somebody sees him out in the water," she added. "We just really want to bring him home."

A GoFundMe was created on behalf of Castaneda’s family to pay for the 19-year-old’s funeral and burial expenses. 

“He died a hero, using all his strength to save his sister from drowning,” read the fundraiser description. “Even before this, Victor was a hero in every sense. He sacrificed his dreams to join the army, all to provide a home for his family. Serving others was always his true calling.”

“Even in his absence, Victor continues to protect and serve his family,” the description later added. 

Police said the investigation is continuing, WTVJ reported.

PEOPLE contacted the Miami Beach Police Department and the GoFundMe organizer on Wednesday, Nov. 13, for additional information.