Dad drowns after saving his 3 kids from canal…

Franklin Township Police received a 911 call Wednesday reporting a man in the water at the Delaware and Raritan Canal, with three children on the shore.

Witnesses told police the children – ages 8, 11 and 13 – went into the water and quickly became distressed. That’s when their 42-year-old father went into the water to help. He pulled his children to shallow water but struggled to maintain his balance.

Responding officers found the children out of the water but could not locate their father.

Divers searched the water, but efforts to rescue the victim were unsuccessful. His body was recovered by the divers around 5:30 p.m.

The children were treated at the scene and released without further medical attention.