Dive team recovers body of man who jumped in aqueduct to save 9-year-old son

A man died Sunday after jumping into the California Aqueduct in Hesperia to save his 9-year-old son, authorities said.

The pair had been bike riding on an asphalt path near the aqueduct when the boy lost control of his bike and fell in, said Cindy Bachman, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.

The 31-year-old father, who authorities did not name, immediately dove into the cold, swift-moving water but never resurfaced, Bachman said. The boy made it out safely.

Dispatchers fielded several 911 calls, sending deputies to the scene a few minutes before 1 p.m. When they didn’t see the man in the water, deputies called a dive team to help with the search.

Rescuers searched the aqueduct near Ranchero Road and 11th Avenue for nearly two hours before they recovered the man’s body a short distance away.

“It’s just kind of slippery, it’s not like if you fell in you could just climb back out,” Bachman said. “It had a very tragic ending, and if you’re not a strong swimmer, then you really don’t have a chance in that water.”

alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @AleneTchek