TOLEDO, Ohio — The search for a man that the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department said fell from the Anthony Wayne Bridge and into the Maumee River will resume Monday, according to TFRD.
On Thursday, March 9, crews promptly responded to the scene regarding a suicide call at approximately 3:50 p.m., according to a Toledo police report. Callers stated a person had entered the water from the Anthony Wayne Bridge.
Responding fire crews confirmed witness reports that there was a man in the water attempting to swim to the east side after falling from the high level bridge. He was seen going under and coming back up multiple times before he was seen going under for the last time at 4 p.m.
The search for the man continued and just after 5 p.m., one hour and fourteen minutes into the incident, the operation moved from rescue to recovery efforts because "it was determined that too much time had elapsed for a successful rescue," TFRD said in a press release Thursday night.
Recovery efforts ended around 7:25 p.m. due to dangerous river conditions, darkness and impending weather. Divers were pulled out of the water once the recovery mode was called because of strong currents and unsafe conditions.
U.S. Coast Guard crews from the Toledo station and Air Station Detroit assisted TFRD at the scene. TFRD also deployed a drone in the search.
Police referred to the incident as a "death investigation" in a report.
Due to inclement weather, crews did not continue the recovery search on Friday and resumed Monday.
The TFRD Water Rescue Team and Special Operations Bureau used sector and side scan sonar technology. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources also assisted with equipment, personnel and a side scan sonar unit.
Crews searched the area Monday from about 1-5:30 p.m., at which point the search ceased for the day so crews can evaluate the sonar data that was obtained, TFRD said in a press release.
"Any future search and recovery operations, including putting divers in the river will be based on sonar data, weather, and river conditions."
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