POUGHKEEPSIE – A marine unit from the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office is currently conducting a search of the Hudson River to locate a person who jumped from the Mid-Hudson Bridge at approximately 4:30 a.m. today.
The New York State Bridge Authority contacted Poughkeepsie 911 this morning after receiving a report of a disabled vehicle on the span. A review of surveillance footage confirmed that a person exited the vehicle and jumped off of the bridge, into the river.
City police responded to the bridge while Poughkeepsie firefighters prepared to launch their boat, Marine 1, to search for the person. Deputy Fire Chief Joe Franco made the decision to keep the boat docked due to heavy fog conditions on the river.
At approximately 5:30 a.m., the sheriff’s office was requested to launch one of their boats in an attempt to locate the person. The boat, Enforcer 1, with two deputies on board, arrived in the vicinity of the span a few minutes later, and began conducting a search.
According to Sheriff’s Lieutenant Shawn Castano, the US Coast Guard was sending a boat up from New York City to assist in the operation. It expected to arrive around 10:30 a.m. Poughkeepsie Fire Chief Mark Johnson indicated that his department’s boat will be assisting in the search.
