William “Stone” Romberg was doing what he did most weekends along the Gulf Coast. The 31-year-old Atlanta native, who managed beach services for La Dolce Vita at Carillon Beach in Panama City Beach, was fishing with friends near Philips Inlet on the afternoon of October 25, 2026. He cast his line into the water off the shore in front of the Pinnacle Port Condominiums and, by accident, snagged a seagull. Rather than leave the bird struggling with the hook and line, Romberg entered the water to free it. According to accounts given to local authorities and detailed in fundraising pages set up for his family, both the bird and the hook became caught on his hand as he tried to untangle the lure. When he attempted to swim back toward shore, a strong current carried him farther out into the Gulf. His friends eventually lost sight of him. When they located him again, he was tangled in the fishing line.

They pulled him from the water and began CPR, but Romberg could not be revived. The Bay County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the drowning. Romberg left behind his wife, Taylor, and their two daughters, Hadley, age three, and Lainey, who had turned one only two weeks earlier. Coworkers at La Dolce Vita and members of the Carillon Beach community described him as a devoted husband and father whose kindness and willingness to help others left a lasting impression. Multiple GoFundMe campaigns were launched within days to cover funeral expenses and support the family; within a short time the combined efforts had raised well over $300,000. Tributes poured in from people who knew him both in Florida and back in metro Atlanta, where he had grown up and attended high school. The incident has been widely reported as a rare and tragic outcome of an attempt to help an animal, with the combination of the hook catching on his hand and the sudden current proving fatal.

On a Sunday afternoon in late October 2026, William “Stone” Romberg was fishing with friends along the shoreline at Carillon Beach near Laguna Beach in Florida’s Panhandle. The 31-year-old, known locally as the beach service manager for the La Dolce Vita company that handles chair and equipment rentals at the condominium complex, made a cast that accidentally hooked a seagull. Witnesses and later statements from those close to him say he immediately swam out to free the bird rather than risk injuring it further. While he worked to remove the lure, the hook and the seagull itself became caught on his hand, leaving him entangled in the line. As he tried to return to shore, the current in the area near Philips Inlet carried him farther from land.

His companions lost visual contact for a period before spotting him again, still caught in the gear. They recovered him from the water and performed CPR until emergency responders arrived, but Romberg was pronounced ᴅᴇᴀᴅ. He is survived by his wife Taylor and daughters Hadley, three, and Lainey, one. The family had marked Lainey’s first birthday only days before the accident. Romberg had relocated from the Atlanta area, where his father coaches high school football, and had become a familiar and well-liked figure among residents and visitors at Carillon Beach. Statements from his employer emphasized his hard work, warm smile, and readiness to ᴀssist anyone. Local coverage noted that the drowning occurred in front of the Pinnacle Port Condominiums. In the days that followed, community members and online fundraisers highlighted both the unexpected nature of the accident and the outpouring of support for the young family left behind, with donations quickly reaching hundreds of thousands of dollars across multiple campaigns.