News

NH man drowns trying to save kids at popular waterfall

BRISTOL, N.H. — A man died trying to save a child from drowning in a popular New Hampshire swimming spot.

People swimming at Profile Falls in Bristol, New Hampshire, heard screams and noticed two kids struggling. The man, who has been identified as Thai M. Chinh, jumped into the water and never resurfaced.

The kids were pulled from the water and are reportedly okay, but it remains unclear what happened when the man jumped into the water.

"We heard a lot of screaming. Loud screaming. A lot of kids screaming. It got quiet for a minute and I heard a girl start screaming again," Brenda Kraengel, from Buffalo, N.Y., said.

Kraengal said she woke to screams from the falls below her vacation home in Bristol Monday afternoon.

New Hampshire State Police say four kids -- ages 7, 8, 10, and 13 -- were swimming under the waterfall when one of them began to struggle.

Chinh, a 39-year-old relative of the kids, jumped into help and went under. He didn't resurface and the three other kids also started to struggle.

"Hearing that, of course, is dreadful and such a shame. People on vacation with families and a family member dying, I can't even imagine," Kraengal said.

Investigators from the marine patrol say good Samaritans at the falls performed a water rescue of their own and got all of the children out of the water and to shore.

But they were too late to save the man. His body was recovered about six miles down the Smith River.

"I don't know how many people were here watching it when it happened, but I'm sure they were horrified," Cindy Normandy said.

Locals who spoke to FOX25 are calling Chinh a hero.

"He's definitely a hero," said Kim Hawkins. "It's just a little scary as to why everybody was having trouble."

The water isn't terribly deep and locals say they don't consider it a dangerous spot.

Police are issuing a warning to swimmers in the wake of the drowning, urging weak swimmers to wear a life jacket when going into any body of water.