Brookfield Food Influencer, Father, Partner Drown While Trying To Rescue Swimmer In Chile: Reports

BROOKFIELD, CT — A food influencer from Brookfield, his father and partner all died this week while trying to rescue a swimmer in Chile, according to media reports.

CT Insider reports Ben Wood, 43, his father, 77-year-old Norman Wood, and his partner, Maria Jose "Pepa" Duarte, drowned Monday in the sea off Algarrobo, Chile, during a chain-reaction rescue attempt.

According to CT Insider, Wood's mother told the paper her husband was visiting their son, who grew up in Brookfield and moved to Chile in 2012. He most recently lived in Santiago.

People reports Wood's daughter confirmed his death in a post to her father's Instagram Stories on Wednesday.

The tribute, written in Spanish and still viewable Thursday afternoon, noted her parents loved their work and passions and gave their lives for others as they had many times before.

Local outlet Diario El Día reports a young woman on the seashore was dragged by a large wave, and her partner entered the water in an attempt to rescue her.

Wood, his father and Duarte noticed the situation and joined the rescue attempt, however only the woman's partner survived after he was rescued by a naval helicopter, according to Diario El Día.

According to People, Wood was the founder of online mail-order beer marketplace Craftwork Chile, as well as an indie brewing project called Lost and Found Liquids.

Wood also posted a number of videos related to food, beer and similar topics on his Instagram page, which has 800 posts and over 37,000 followers as of Thursday.