A man and his wife from Schenectady County, New York, were enjoying time with family on July 22 at a Lake Ontario bay when the unthinkable happened.

It was a terrifying moment for George D. Vitetta and his wife, Kathy, when their five-year-old granddaughter, Ella, who had a life jacket on, fell off a sandbar into the water, Syracuse.com reported Monday.

As the child was swept away, Kathy tried to get her to swim back but she was unable to because the undercurrent was too strong, according to family members.

When the woman reached out to help the child, she fell into the water and the undercurrent also took her down. Meanwhile, their eight-year-old grandson also fell into the water and was being swept away.

“George jumped into the water and managed to push his wife and two grandchildren back toward the sand bar before being overtaken by a wave and disappearing,” the report said.

The scene unfolded at approximately 1:00 p.m. that day, according to WRBG.

A search was conducted around the North Sandy Pond bay area, and a dive team eventually found the 65-year-old pastor, according to officials.

The man died of accidental drowning.

George and Kathy had come from their home in Rotterdam to watch their grandchildren, according to the man’s son, Gabriel.

Everyone planned to spend the day on their boat, docking it near North Sandy Pond to enjoy the beach.

The older couple was watching the children play in the water while two other family members prepared a seating area.

Minutes later, everything changed when George, Kathy, and their grandchildren began fighting the undercurrent.

A woman nearby saw them struggling and sent her sons to get a boat to try and rescue them. The woman helped Kathy and the children, but George had disappeared.

Nearly 4,000 people die every year of drowning in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The 65-year-old Vitetta joined the military after graduating from high school, later working as an engineer until his retirement at 58, when he became a pastor.

His son noted that he was always open to helping people, and “He never turned anybody away.”

“I lost my best friend,” Gabriel continued, “But I am just glad I didn’t lose my niece and nephew and my stepmother in the process.”

In lieu of flowers, friends and family are asked to consider donating to the City Mission of Schenectady, a food pantry, or the East Greenbush Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).