BUSHKILL, Pa. — A 39-year-old man from Lakewood, New Jersey, drowned Monday afternoon while saving his children from the waters of the Delaware River. The incident occurred near the Bushkill Access within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
The National Park Service rangers and dive team members were dispatched to the scene after receiving a distress call at 1:45 p.m. Upon arrival, crews initiated a search for the man, who had gone missing after rescuing his children.
By 3:07 p.m., the team recovered his body approximately 20 to 30 feet from the shore in seven feet of water.
The victim was identified as Baruch Ber Ziemba. Ziemba had been on vacation in the Poconos with his wife and seven children.
The family had been out on a boat when two of Ziemba’s children began struggling while swimming in the river, according to reports. Ziemba entered the water and successfully brought them to safety before being pulled under by a wave.