A 37-year-old man drowned after rescuing two children from Lake Nockamixon

Family members and colleagues of Marvin Alexan Fernandez Chicas — the 37-year-old man who drowned Thursday after rescuing two children from Lake Nockamixon — recalled him as a hardworking, selfless father who would do anything to help others.

That included risking his own life, they said.

Chicas reportedly saw the two unidentified children in distress near the cliffs around Tohickon Creek at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, said Wesley Robinson, a spokesperson for the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. He managed to help the children to safety before disappearing into the water. Divers located his body two hours later.

Chicas’ sister-in-law, Lesly Canaca, told The Inquirer that the two boys were the young sons of Chicas’ best friend.

Family and friends said they were devastated by the loss.

“He was a good person, a good worker, a good father, a good son,” Canaca said. “A lot of people love him because he helps everybody.”

Chicas was from the central Honduran city of Comayagua, and had been in the United States for more than a decade, Canaca said. The family has started a GoFundMe to return Chicas’ body to Honduras for burial and to help provide for his two sons, who are 3 and 17. The fundraiser raised over $43,000 of its $50,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.

News of the death has spread nationwide, with strangers calling Chicas a hero for braving the lake to save the two boys.

“They apparently got in some trouble in the water,” Haycock Fire Company Chief Harry Grim told the Allentown-based WFMZ. “He went in to help them. Unfortunately, he can’t swim. The kids got out. He did not.”

Chicas loved to spend the weekends riding bikes and fishing with his 3-year-old son on the lakes in Bucks County. For the last several years, he had worked at Patty Miller Stables, an equestrian center in Doylestown, where he tended to horses and maintained the Bucks County farmland.

The stable extended its condolences to the family and commended Chicas’ actions.

“Marvin was a meticulous worker who went above and beyond to ensure the safety of the ponies and horses in his care,” the stables wrote on Facebook. “The Patty Miller Stables family is heartbroken over the loss of an incredible human, father, and hero.”

Bucks County coroner Meredith Buck said the drowning has been ruled accidental. It was not immediately clear whether the children required medical attention after their rescue. Canaca said both boys were safe, but remained crushed by Chicas’ death.

“It’s so hard,” Canaca said. “They are so sad.”

Divers scoured the lake for two hours on Thursday evening before locating Chicas’ body. Swimming is prohibited in Lake Nockamixon and the surrounding creeks, and authorities said the incident is a reminder of the dangers of going into the 1,450-acre reservoir.

“Our office extends its deepest condolences to the Decedent’s family and friends during this difficult time as they process this tragic loss,” Buck said in a statement.

Canaca said family and friends in Pennsylvania would hold a service next weekend in Pottstown before sending Chicas’ body back to Honduras for burial.