Mays Landing, NJ, man dies a hero after rescuing children from dangerous river

HAMILTON (Atlantic) — A man who rescued two boys from a river Wednesday afternoon died several hours later.

Township police said the boys, ages 8 and 12, went swimming in the Great Egg Harbor River at Weymouth Furnace County Park around 1 p.m. on July 17. Swimming is prohibited.

Pablo Hernando Cruz, 49, of the Mays Landing section, successfully got them back to land but ran into difficulty of his own and went under the water, county officials said. He was taken to a hospital after being rescued by first responders.

He was pronounced dead late Wednesday afternoon.

The 12-year-old has been released from a hospital. The 8-year-old was transferred to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

A county spokeswoman did not have information on the relationship between the boys and the man.

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Tragedies in the park

The 11-acre county park at the site of the former Weymouth Iron Forge and Papermills allows canoeing and fishing but not swimming. The deep river contains dangerous underwater debris.

Park visitors continue to ignore the posted signs leading to tragedies, according to Atlantic County executive Dennis Levinson.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with their families. 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," Levinson said in a statement.

"We urge visitors to heed the warnings. Signs are posted throughout the park in both English and Spanish. We don’t want any family to have to deal with this type of tragedy.”

Carlos Alvarado, 23, of Hammonton, drowned in the park in 2021 while a 14-year-old boy drowned during the Fourth of July holiday in 2018.

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