A New Jersey man has died after jumping into dangerous waters to save two children from drowning in a no-swimming area.
The incident occurred at Weymouth Furnace in the Great Egg Harbor River, NBC Philadelphia reported. While the area is popular for activities like tubing and canoeing, signs have been posted in the area — in English and Spanish — warning swimmers not to enter the dangerous waters.
Police said the man, identified as Pablo Hernando Cruz, 49, spotted two children in trouble in the river Wednesday afternoon and then jumped in to save them. He managed to bring the two children safely to shore before sliding under the water himself.
Witness Paul Horsey and his son Hunter saw the chaos unfold and helped authorities search for Cruz in the water. Father Horsey said they were dropping off a bunch of tubers before jumping into the river to try to save him.
“Yeah, I talked to other people there, and they said he actually pushed the kids out where they could reach them, and so yeah, he saved them, and then he sank, and he probably couldn’t get back into shallower water,” Paul Horsey told Fox 29.
It was Hunter who eventually found Cruz. He pulled him out of the water and dragged him to paramedics waiting on shore, who immediately began CPR. He was rushed to a local hospital, where he died a short time later.
The children, ages 8 and 12, were not seriously injured. The older child was treated at an area hospital and has since been released while the other remains hospitalized at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
Hunter said it was “common” for people to struggle in the waters near the Weymouth kiln.
“They are going under the bridge; the waters are rough and fast,” he said.
His father added: “The water looks shallow, and it is. So they think they’re wading in, but eventually it gets deep and they get into trouble.”
