A 51-year-old man drowned after saving two children in the Colorado River over the weekend, authorities said. The incident occurred nearHidden Shores Resort,located in Yuma, Arizona, on Saturday, July 5, according to the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network. Deputies with the Yuma County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene just after noon. A group of individuals was at the Horseshoe Island sandbar when the children "were pulled off the shallows by the current,"according to the sheriff's office. Texas Flood:Signs of lost campers litter riverbanks amid search for the missing The man, identified as Jeffrey Brady, dove into the water to rescue the children, Yuma County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Tania Pavlak told the Arizona Republic. He was able to keep them afloat until a vessel was able to bring the boys to safety, she added. Brady struggled to stay above the water and did not resurface, according to the news release. The Yuma County Sheriff's Office, in collaboration with multiple other agencies, conducted an underwater search. Brady's body was recovered around 7:00 p.m. on July 5. Brady recently moved from California to Yuma and lived there with his partner, Elen, and his blind father in his newly purchased home, according to aGoFundMe. He was from San Diego, perNBC 7 San Diego. The fundraiser describes Brady as a "protector, a provider, and a selfless hero." The rescued boys, a 10-year-old and a 12-year-old, were his girlfriend's nephews, according to the GoFundMe. Created to aid with funeral-related expenses and other needs, the GoFundMe has raised over $88,000 as of Wednesday, July 9. "He was a giant of a man, but his heart was pure gold," Brady's friend, Summer Needham,told KUSI. Joann Ripley, another one of Brady's longtime friends, said, "It's not shocking or surprising at all that he was the one that went in after (the boys) and saved them," per the San Diego-based TV station. Contributing: Rey Covarrubias Jr./ Arizona Republic Taylor Ardrey is a news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at tardrey@gannett.com. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Man drowned after saving 2 boys in Arizona's Colorado River
