FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, New Jersey — A man died on Wednesday after pulling his three children to safety from a river in central New Jersey, authorities said. CBS New York previously reported the incident.
Witnesses recalled seeing the father follow his children into the Millstone River — a tributary of the larger Raritan River that stretches about 40 miles long — after they entered the water and "quickly became distressed," the Franklin Township Police Department said in a statement shared to its Facebook page.
The children are 8, 11 and 13 years old, according to the statement. Witnesses told police their father was able to move all three of them to shallow water before losing his balance and disappearing into the river.
The man, identified as a 42-year-old resident of South River, could not be found when officers arrived at the scene on Wednesday afternoon, although his children were already on the shore.
A dive team with the Somerset County Prosecutor's office located and recovered the man's body at around 5:30 p.m. ET while searching the river. Authorities were initially called to the scene about three hours earlier.
Police said the man's name will be released after his family members are notified. His children were treated and released at the scene and did not need "further medical attention," according to the department.
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