A heroic New Jersey dad has died after leaping into a river to save two young boys from drowning in a notoriously dangerous stretch where swimming is banned.
Pablo Hernando Cruz, 49, jumped into the Great Egg Harbor River in Weymouth Furnace County Park in Atlantic County on Wednesday afternoon after spotting the 12- and 8-year-old boys struggling in the current, according to Fox 29.
He “pushed the kids to where [others] could reach them — he saved them,” said Paul Horsey, one of the first on the scene.
“And then he went under,” Horsey said of the heroic father of two who was soon to become a grandfather.
First responders eventually pulled Cruz out of the water and rushed him to a nearby hospital. However, the Mays Landing local was pronounced dead early Thursday, officials said.
Officials and a family fundraiser made no mention of the heroic dad knowing either of the boys he saved. Both boys were taken to nearby hospitals but are expected to survive.
The boys were reportedly swimming in the river despite multiple warning signs — in English and Spanish — explaining why it is prohibited.
“The water is deep and can be dangerous for swimmers which is why we prohibit swimming,” noted Atlantic County Executive Dennis Levinson, imploring others to “heed the warnings.”
“We don’t want any family to have to deal with this type of tragedy.”
Cruz “was a hero [who] lost his life saving two children from drowning,” his brother-in-law, Joe Pagliuca, said in an online fundraiser that has raised more than $12,000.
“Pablo was an amazing father, husband, and cook … man, could he cook!” the relative wrote.
He noted how Cruz put his career working in restaurants around Atlantic County on pause seven years ago when his teenage daughter was diagnosed with cancer.
“He took on the role of caretaker and as always proved to be the glue that held his family together,” the GoFundMe said of the dad, who is survived by his wife, two daughters and unborn grandson.
A 23-year-old man drowned in the same river in June 2021, authorities said.
“This is a beautiful park that is enjoyed by many for canoeing, kayaking, picnics and barbeques, but the water is deep and can be dangerous for swimmers which is why we prohibit swimming,” said Levinson.