A North Carolina community is mourning the loss of a firefighter who died while snorkeling on vacation in Turks and Caicos with his family.

Jaywon Lyons died earlier this month on a snorkeling excursion on the island shortly after taking a photo, his girlfriend, Sonya Moore, told The Greenville Daily Reflector.

“I rushed over and I literally couldn’t even stand while they were doing CPR,” Moore told the outlet. “I had my parents take my son and I just remained with him. We tried to get him stable. He was stable for a while.”

Authorities transported Lyons to a local hospital, and Moore tried to schedule an ICU flight back to the United States.

FIREFIGHTER’S BODY RECOVERED FROM VACATION GETAWAY AFTER WEEKEND KAYAKING ACCIDENT

“At the hospital, it just took a turn for the worse,” Moore told the Reflector.

Lyons deployed with the Little River Volunteer Fire Department to assist with relief efforts after Hurricane Helene and served at several other North Carolina fire departments over the course of his career, according to the Red Oak Community Rural Fire Department.

BODY OF MISSING FATHER OF FIVE FOUND IN GEORGIA LAKE AFTER KAYAKING TRIP

Jay Lyons deployed with the Little River Volunteer Fire Department to assist with relief efforts after Hurricane Helene and served at several other North Carolina fire departments over the course of his career. (Red Oak Rural Community Fire Dept.)

“We are sorry to report the loss of our brother Red Oak Firefighter Jay Lyons today in a tragic accident while he was on vacation outside of the country,” the Department said in a June 6 Facebook post. “Jay was well-liked here at Red Oak and he made a lasting impression on everyone.”

“He was an optimistic person who loved his family,” the Red Oak Community FD said.

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Edgecombe County remembered Lyons as one of the county’s first firefighters in a June 7 Facebook post.

Jay Lyons leaves behind two daughters, ages 3 and 1. (Edgecombe County)

“As one of Edgecombe County’s first firefighters, he served with courage, kindness, and a heart for others. His impact was felt far beyond our team, and all who knew him admired and loved him,” the county said. 

A GoFundMe for the firefighter titled “Continued help for Jaywon’s Family” says Lyons’ body was returned to North Carolina on June 23. 

Lyons leaves behind two daughters, ages 3 and 1.

Florida wildlife authorities have released a new report on a vicious May alligator attack that took the life of a Michigan woman. 

Cynthia Diekema, 61, was killed while canoeing with her husband near Lake Kissimmee State Park when they unknowingly approached an 11-foot, four-inch alligator lurking beneath the surface, a report from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) says, according to KETV. 

FWC said that the alligator thrashed underneath the canoe, causing the pair to be thrown into the water. 

ALLIGATOR INJURES GIRL SWIMMING IN POPULAR SUMMER STATE PARK DESTINATION

“The victim was immediately bitten on the torso, and efforts by her husband to assist her were unsuccessful,” according to the report. “The alligator performed a death roll and swam away with the victim.”

FWC alligator trappers later caught the alligator. 

Amid the release of the report, FWC announced a new partnership with GatorWise, described as “a new public awareness campaign that aims to promote realistic public perceptions about alligators and assist the public in taking appropriate actions to minimize conflict,” in order to help Floridians navigate the waters during the summer, when alligator attacks become more common. 

“Florida has seen tremendous population growth in recent years, with many people living or recreating near water,” Matthew Nichols, FWC alligator management program coordinator, said of the partnership. “Because alligators can be found in nearly any water in Florida, it’s safest to always assume they’re present. GatorWise provides consistent, science-based information from across the Southeast to help people safely share the landscape with these important animals.”

An alligator just under the surface of the water during an airboat tour of the Florida Everglades on Feb. 6, 2022. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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According to the wildlife authority, there are an estimated 1.3 million alligators in Florida. FWC’s 2025 statistics show that there have been two “major” alligator bites through May, one of them being fatal. There have been no “minor” bites this year. 

Last year, there were a total of 11 bites, nine considered major and two minor, with no fatalities. In 2023, there were 23 alligator bites, 18 major and five minor, with two fatalities. 

The GatorWise website provides basic instructions, like assuming alligators are present when near the water, not feeding alligators, not disposing of fish or food scraps in the water, not attempting to pick up an alligator, and ensuring pets aren’t wandering shorelines off-leash. 

An alligator populates the Wakodahatchee Wetlands on June 27, 2022, in Delray Beach, Florida. (Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

“Alligators are native to many wetlands of the southeastern United States, making them critical to the health and balance of these ecosystems,” the site says. “Minimizing conflicts with people while maintaining necessary protections from overharvest is crucial to keeping alligator populations stable within their range.”

“To do that we must Educate people about alligators, while increasing Respect for these animals and their natural behaviors, which will allow for alligators and humans to Coexist.”

Fox News Digital reached out to FWC. 

A judge ordered Monday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia will remain behind bars following a request from his attorneys, who believed he could face possible deportation again before his human smuggling trial begins, according to the Associated Press. 

However, top Trump administration officials maintained last week that Kilmar Abrego Garcia will continue to go through the legal system in the United States before he is deported again, as the administration maintains he will not walk free in the U.S.

Abrego Garcia’s lawyers also successfully asked the judge last Friday to keep him behind bars to avoid any possibility of an immediate deportation, according to NewsNation.  

Still, the plan is to try Abrego Garcia in the U.S. on the Tennessee-based human smuggling charges before deporting him, according to the Department of Justice. And if he is convicted, the White House says he will spend time behind bars in the U.S. before being deported.

JUDGE SETS STRICT CONDITIONS FOR ABREGO GARCIA’S RELEASE AS TRUMP OFFICIALS PURSUE CASE AGAINST HIM

“This defendant has been charged with horrific crimes including trafficking children and will not walk free in our country again,” DOJ spokesperson Chad Gilmartin told Fox News Digital in an email.

The White House further clarified the Executive Branch’s stance following an Associated Press report on the comments from federal prosecutors about possibly deporting him to a third country sooner. 

“This is fake news. Abrego Garcia was returned to the United States to face trial for the egregious charges against him. He will face the full force of the American justice system – including serving time in American prison for the crimes he’s committed,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson said in an X post.

RETURNED SALVADORAN MIGRANT KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA ARRAIGNED ON FEDERAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING CHARGES IN TENNESSEE

Chris Van Hollen speaks to Kilmar Garcia (Reuters)

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the 29-year-old will not be freed in the U.S. at any point.

“Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a dangerous criminal illegal alien. We have said it for months and it remains true to this day: he will never go free on American soil,” she wrote.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

Abrego Garcia, who was living in Maryland, was deported to El Salvador amid accusations of being an MS-13 gang member, as it is a designated foreign terrorist organization. He then spent time detained at the country’s terrorism confinement center. While detained in the country, it sparked a political firestorm in which Democrats raised concerns about due process, with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-M.D., even meeting with him in the Central American nation.

During his El Salvador detainment, past records alleging domestic abuse surfaced, as well as reports that he allegedly had taken part in human smuggling, which ultimately led to the federal charges brought forth earlier this month that resulted in his return to American custody.

DEMOCRATS CELEBRATE RETURN OF SUSPECTED HUMAN TRAFFICKER KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA

This courtroom sketch depicts Kilmar Abrego Garcia sitting in court during his detention hearing on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. Federal prosecutors on Thursday said that if Abrego-Garcia is released, the government’s plan is to take him into ICE custody and begin removal proceedings to a “third country.” (Diego Fishburn via AP)

“Abrego Garcia has landed in the United States to face justice,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said at the time. “A grand jury in the Middle District of Tennessee returned a sealed indictment charging him with alien smuggling and conspiracy.”

However, critics blasted the charges as a political move.

“After weeks of the Trump administration saying they either couldn’t or wouldn’t return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the US, the timing of these charges are clearly designed to cover up their negligence and the fact that the Supreme Court unanimously called them out on the egregious ways they are ignoring due process,” the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition said in a statement at the time. “Still, Mr. Abrego Garcia will now be able to have his day in court, which The Constitution guarantees for everyone in our country regardless of citizenship.”