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Associated Press
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Minnesota man drowns in Puerto Rico while trying to save son

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A 61-year-old Minnesota man who was a longtime employee at Public Radio International drowned in Puerto Rico while trying to save his stepson, officials said Wednesday.

Police said Vidal Morales Guzman was vacationing with his family along the U.S. territory's north coast when he saw his 19-year-old stepson struggling Monday afternoon in rough seas off a popular beach called Poza Las Mujeres. Police said Morales tried to rescue the youth, but was swept away. The stepson managed to grab onto a rock and was saved after yelling for help.

Morales worked in Minneapolis as a client relations manager for PRI, where he spent 22 years. Alisa Miller, CEO of PRI, said he participated in the launch of the flagship show, PRI's The World. She said he loved broadcasting.

"The circumstances of his death speak to the man he was," she said. "He was a kind, funny, enthusiastic proponent of all that public radio is and could be ... I personally always loved to hear his infectious laugh."

Police said several people on the beach helped pull Morales out of the water, but he died before arriving at a nearby hospital.