California Father Drowns in Oregon River Saving His 12-Year-Old Daughter's Life

A man drowned in Oregon this week after heroically saving his daughter’s life.

The man has been identified as 29-year-old Baltazar Tellovelasco, a resident of Oxnard, California, according to CNN and local outlets.

After becoming aware of his 12-year-old daughter struggling in the water of the Santiam River in Marion County, Oregon, on Thursday, the father leapt into the water to help her.

While his daughter made it to the river’s shore safely, Tellovelasco became submerged and did come back up.

Emergency services were called around 2 p.m., the Marion County Sheriff’s office said, according to local outlet KATU News. While waiting for first responders to arrive, other patrons at the river’s edge helped to get Tellovelasco’s body out of the water, but it was tragically too late.

Once Lyons Fire District and Stayton Fire District responders arrived on the scene, multiple attempts to resuscitate Tellovelasco were made before he was pronounced dead on the scene, CNN reported.

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The Marion County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

The accident occurred at the Central Oregon county’s North Folk Park, which the Santiam River runs through.

The sheriff’s office said that many swimmers aren’t prepared for the cold water’s depth and current, according to CNN.