A father of four died after his truck was submerged by rising floodwaters during historic storms in Palm Bay, Florida, his wife has shared. Joshua Bennett, 34, was on his way to get coffee when the deluge overwhelmed his vehicle on Monday.
Bennett called his wife, Stacy Petit Bennett, on FaceTime as water surrounded his truck. "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 WESH2. "He said he's in the middle of a river, and his car was submerged with water all around."
His wife urged him to break a car window and escape, but their call ended moments later. She later learned he had drowned.
Joshua Bennett was remembered by his wife as an devoted father who enjoyed baking with their children and taking them jet skiing. The couple met in college while studying bio pre-med and married in 2020. They have four children, including twins born prematurely at 25 weeks.
Stacy Petit Bennett became a stay-at-home mother to care for their children, three of whom have special needs. "Now we're essentially starting from scratch," she said, tearfully. "He's not here. I don't have my support system. They don't have their father."
Relatives have started a fundraiser to support the family. Bennett was one of two people who died in the storms. Archie Richards, 78, was also found dead inside his vehicle in Palm Bay.
Palm Bay received 19.75 inches of rain on Monday. Experts have linked the extreme weather to this year's El Niño cycle, which is expected to continue producing heavy storms through the winter and spring.
