Lebanon man and mother were fishing near low head dam in Swatara Creek before they died

A mother and son died after they were pulled from the Swatara Creek Sunday near Jonestown, according to family members GoFundMe page.

Salvador Jimenez III, 42, and Ivette Santiago, 61, were recovered by fire crews in rescue boats Sunday, who preformed lifesaving measures.

Pennsylvania State Police, along with local fire and EMS agencies, responded at 5:23 p.m. to the Swatara Creek just north of Jonestown Road for a water rescue near the Jonestown Dam. Officials received reports of multiple people struggling in the water, according to a news release Monday.

Water Rescue:42-year-old dies after water rescue at Swatara Creek, state police say

Jimenez was transported by First Aid Safety Patrol to Wellspan Good Samaritan, where he was pronounced dead, state police said.

Penn State Life Lion EMS transported Santiago to the Hershey Medical Center, with officials confirming she passed away.

A 23-year-old woman and a 25-year-old man were also involved in Sunday's incident, according to officials. They were transported to Hershey Medical Center by First Aid and Safety Patrol for treatment of minor injuries.

Officials have not released the names of the other two people involved as of Wednesday afternoon.

It takes some effort to get back towards the dam, according to Jon Beers, Lebanon Water Authority executive director. Besides a difficult terrain and traversing through water, there's several signs saying no trespassing.

"We have warning signs of the dangers of the low head dam all over the place," he said. "So these people on the dam Sunday fishing went through private property and totally ignored the warning signs."

While it doesn't appear to be a dangerous, Beers said the current can sweep residents off the dam and trap them downstream. Once people get caught in the waters, it is almost impossible to get back out.

"It's like a whirlpool," he said. "It just keeps sucking you underneath the water, pops you back up to the surface and then sucks you back towards the dam and underneath the water. Then some tried to jump in and save that person and they get trapped in that infinite cycle."

Members of Jimenez and Santiago's family have launched a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses. Salvador Jimenez IV, son of Jimenez and grandson of Santiago, wrote "This was a very random, horrible incident that has our whole family working together to get through."

According to his obituary, Jimenez enjoyed bowling, playing poker, being with his family and going to the gym. Santiago enjoyed fishing, playing dominoes, dancing, taking trips, playing pool, bowling, cooking, singing and especially spending time with her family, according to her obituary released Wednesday. Both mother and son enjoyed playing pool, bowling and spending time with their family.

Since a kayaking incident several years ago, officials have put signage on both sides of the dam warning people to stay away. Swatara Watershed Association president Bethany Canner said there is a fence near the Lebanon Valley Rail-Trail.

"What happens with the Swatara a lot is that people see it and it's fairly docile," she said. "There's no big rapids on it. It's not harmful looking unless there's a big storm or something."

The dam was built by Consolidated Water Company in 1910 when there used to be a treatment plant on the creek, according to Beers. There have been four drownings in five years.

"I don't know if the dam can be breached," he said. "I don't know that we could run our water supply intake without that dam."

Both Beers and Canner said they are not sure what else they can do to promote safety near the dam, other than to keep maintaining signs and getting the word out about the dangers trespassers may face.

"There's many low head dams in the state, and I don't know what the solution is other than education at this point," Beers said.

Ongoing Homicide:35-year-old Bethel Township man shot in the head at home in 2021, officials say Thursday

Funeral services for both Jimenez and Santiago will be held on Friday, April 29, 2022, at 6 p.m. at the Lebanon Evangelical Free Church 600 Shepherd St, Jonestown, PA 17038. Viewing will be from 4 to 6 p.m. at the church.

Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on Twitter at @DAMattToth.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Lebanon man and mother drowned while fishing in Swatara Creek Sunday