(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
5:33 PM: Now there’s a new incident – someone reported to have fallen or jumped off the south side of the lower West Seattle Bridge. Needless to say, the entire area below the bridges is a mess, with emergency equipment everywhere.
5:35 PM UPDATE: The person is reported to be in the water, hanging onto a piling. They’re sending divers into the water to help.
5:57 PM: Fire/rescue crews are on both sides of the surface beneath the bridge, but they aren’t seeing the person right now, and are still saying he (that’s the pronoun they are using) is believed to have jumped off the lower bridge’s south side.
6:11 PM: Per the scanner, a bicycle helmet and vest were found, not in the water, possibly linked to the person they’re looking for.
The low bridge is still closed both ways because of this.
6:33 PM UPDATE: From the scanner, police and fire have agreed the low bridge can be reopened. But the search continues.
A Coast Guard vessel is reported to be joining the search.
7:18 PM UPDATE: As pointed out in comments and by SFD via Twitter, this is now considered to be a “recovery” effort, with Seattle Police taking the lead (its divers have been searching along with SFD divers).
That means they don’t have much hope they’ll find the person alive.
7:24 PM UPDATE: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli at the search scene says the effort is winding up – nothing’s been found in the water.
MONDAY MORNING, 9 AM: We checked with Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson this morning. He says that police found a wallet and cell phone at the spot on the bridge where the person was reported to have gone into the river, but he doesn’t know yet what followup has been done to see if the person to whom they belong is missing.
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