Fayetteville police save man from river after jump off Person Street bridge

Five Fayetteville police officers jumped into the Cape Fear River on Friday morning to save a man’s life after he leaped off a city bridge, officials said.

Officers were called to the 1000 block of Person Street about 9 a.m. on Friday after someone called 911 to report a man was sitting on the edge of the Person Street bridge, Sgt. Alpha Caldwell said Friday. While officers were en route to the scene, the man jumped into the Cape Fear River, Caldwell said. The bridge is about 60 feet above the water's surface and the water depth in that area averages about 20 feet deep.

Rescue efforts began as soon as officers arrived, according to a news release.

“When the officers arrived on scene, they immediately jumped into the river and began rescue measures to the subject that was in distress,” the release said.

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The Fayetteville Fire Department also assisted in the rescue, according to the release.

The man was taken to a local hospital, but his condition was unknown as of Friday afternoon, the release said. A police officer was also taken to the hospital for evaluation and was “doing well” as of Friday afternoon, according to the release.

Public safety reporter Lexi Solomon can be reached at ABSolomon@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville police save man from river after jump off Person Street bridge