The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office called off the search Wednesday morning for a man who allegedly jumped off the Mathews Bridge the previous night.
The JSO Dive Team searched the water around the Mathews Bridge for about five hours before calling off the search. An officer told WOKV around 5:00 a.m. Wednesday that a body was not recovered.
A police report WOKV obtained identified the person as a black man between about 30 to 40 years old.
The Florida Highway Patrol said two vehicles were traveling westbound on the Mathews Bridge around 10 p.m. Tuesday when the driver of a Ford Explorer lost control for an unknown reason. The Explorer hit a barrier wall and a Chevy Captiva, according to FHP.
The police report said witnesses saw the man escape through the vehicle window then fall down. He then allegedly got up, ran to the edge of the bridge and jumped over the guard rail.
The two people in the Captiva live in South Dakota and were not injured in the crash, according to FHP.
Westbound lanes of the Mathews Bridge were closed for hours Tuesday night while police investigated.
The police report also said the owner of the Explorer arrived to the scene while officials were investigating and told police the name of the last known person driving the vehicle. Police redacted the name in the report.
Follow WOKV on twitter for the latest updates to this story.
