Around 2.30 am local time (7.30 am UK time) on Saturday, an officer on patrol in the Connecticut community of West Haven noticed a Nissan SUV parked on the beach, according to the police.
“Significant screaming taking place from the water” was heard by the officer as he approached the car, the force continued.
“As the officer proceeded towards this disturbance, it became evident that an adult male and two small children were in the water,” according to the West Haven Police Department.
The adult male proceeded to drift farther away with the kids as the cop dove into the water, all the while yelling for the approaching officers to “stay back,” the force continued.
The dad was “deliberately drowning his children,” according to the police, and it became “obvious at this point.”
As the responding officers got closer to the dad and the kids, they were about 100 yards off the coast.
The initial responding police officer saved the children, and other officers helped transport them to safety on land.
The kids received life-saving treatment, and on Saturday, authorities said, they were brought to a hospital and kept in intensive care.
