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Father dies rescuing son from water at Panther State Beach

SANTA COUNTY, Calif. (KION-TV)  UPDATE ON JUNE 5, 2023 AT 4:16 PM- The Santa Clara County Coroner's Office has confirmed that a man has died after helping save his son from drowning at Panther State Beach on May 29.

"Unexpectedly a large wave came and knocked his son down and subsequent large waves began to drag him into the ocean. Upon seeing and hearing this, Srinivasa suddenly realized that his son was struggling to get out of the water," said the family in a GoFundMe.

Srinivasa Murthy Jonnalagadda, 44 of Sunnyvale was pronounced dead at Stanford Hospital after he and another man jumped into the water to rescue the boy. The two men were successful however, Jonnalagadda had to be rescued by members of multiple law enforcement agencies, including State Parks, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office and Santa Cruz Fire.

Family said on a GoFundMe that he was a "man of action, always putting his family first, and a fun-loving soul with a highly positive outlook. His willingness to help others knew no boundaries and he never refused anyone needing assistance of any kind. Srinivasa and his wife were actively involved in community service and positively impacted many lives with their support and kindness."

Family says Jonnalagadda is survived by his wife, 10-year-old daughter and 13-year-old son.

ORIGINAL STORY

A 13-year-old boy was rescued and one man was hospitalized after a water rescue at Panther State Beach Monday night.

Cal Fire CZU says the 13-year-old got in the water and was unable to get out.

That's when two men jumped in to try to save him from the water.

They successfully removed the boy from the water, however, one of the men had to be rescued by members of multiple law enforcement agencies, including State Parks, Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office and Santa Cruz Fire.

Cal Fire CZU says that the man needed CPR after being brought to shore and was rushed to a local hospital.

The second man was uninjured after helping rescue the girl.

This is a developing story

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Victor Guzman

Victor Guzman is the Assistant News Director at KION News Channel 5/46.

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