Greenwood Lake Police said the incident took place Sunday, Aug. 18, when children on a crowded pontoon boat were swimming in the lake with life vests on when two of them began to struggle attempting to get back in the boat around 5 p.m.
One of the people aboard the boat, Dovid Traube, 38, of Chestnut Ridge, jumped into the water to save the kids, Greenwood Lake police said.
Traube, who wasn’t wearing a life vest, was successful at getting the kids back into the boat, but then went underwater and never resurfaced, police said.
Several departments searched through heavy rain and lightning for Traube, but the search eventually had to be called off.
On Monday, Aug. 19. New York State Police scuba divers resumed the search and found his body around 10:30 a.m., police said.
The two kids, both under the age of 10, are okay.
Departments assisting with the rescue included: Greenwood Lake Fire Department, Greenwood Lake EMS, New York State Police Dive Team, Warwick Police, Warwick EMS, Monroe Fire District Dive Team, West Milford Police Dive Team, Cronomer Valley Dive Team, Chaveirim Of Kiras Joel Emergency Response Unit, Kiras Joel EMs, Orange County Emergency Services, and Defeo's Marina.
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