Dylan Smith, the surf hero who rescued several people stranded by Hurricane Sandy, has passed away after drowning in Puerto Rico.
Smith, 23, was surfing off Maria's Beach, in the western Puerto Rican community of Rincon, when the accident took place.
"The same sport - the sport of surfing - that he used to save all those people, it's so shocking that he perished that way", revealed Michael Light, chief of the FDNY.
Dylan Smith was featured on People Magazine's "2012 Heroes of the Year" list for his heroics, in Queens, during Hurricane Sandy.
Our surf hero saved six people using a homemade rope bridge and his surfboard.
"Dylan did not care much for the media. Rather, he wanted to stay very clear of any publicity. When I approached him for the People magazine 'Hero of the Year' award he said he would pass on the photo shoot", adds Michael McDonnell, himself a Hurricane Sandy hero.