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4-year-old NH boy swept out to sea during family vacation in North Carolina

The search has been suspended for a 4-year-old boy from Manchester, New Hampshire swept away on a North Carolina beach.

Just before 4 p.m. Wednesday, a mother and her 4-year-old son were walking along the northern banks of Kitty Hawk Beach in North Carolina. Mom was holding her son's hand when a rogue wave came through and swept the boy away.

"You can just hear the helicopters flying over, you walk by and there are surfers out here looking, people helping," said Kristen Bernard, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Boston 25 News has learned mom, dad and their only son were vacationing in North Carolina from Manchester. Mom told police they were on the beach for just a few minutes before the wave swept her son away.

"A wave knocked both of them down, and they became separated," said Chief Joel Johnson, Kitty Hawk Police Dept.

Locals set up a memorial in honor of the boy. Strangers stopped by and left messages in a bottle, prayer journals and wrote heartfelt messages on shells. They hope the family gets some closure and they find the boy's body.

A hat that belonged to the boy surfaced. Police in Kitty Hawk are asking residents to keep an eye out in the northern part of the beach as this has now become a recovery process.