A 39-year-old man drowned after dragging two children to safety in a river before succumbing to the torrent himself, according to officials.
According to a National Park Service statement, the event happened on Monday afternoon in Bushkill, Pennsylvania. At around 1:45 p.m., officials got a call about a probable drowning in the Delaware River.
After arriving on the scene in a matter of minutes, rescue personnel were unable to locate the 39-year-old man from New Jersey. It was not until 3:07 p.m. that they discovered his body in water that was about 7 feet deep and 20 to 30 feet offshore, according to officials.
“According to witnesses, the man had been swimming in the Delaware River with his family when two children in the party began to struggle in the current,” the NPS stated. “He was able to get the children to safety before succumbing to the current himself.”
National Park Service rangers and dive team members from the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River, as well as rescue teams from the Bushkill, Dingmans, and Westfall Fire Departments and Lehman Township EMS, responded to the drowning call from Pike County Dispatch on Monday, according to authorities.
There have been two drownings at Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area so far this summer. The first incident happened on June 29 when a 24-year-old man drowned in the Delaware River at Milford Beach in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
