Rescue crews find no sign of person jumping from Pasco-Richland bridge

Rescue crews spent several hours Tuesday morning searching for a person who may have jumped from the Interstate 182 bridge into the Columbia River, but they never found anyone in the frigid water.

Pasco Fire Department, Columbia Basin Dive Rescue and the U.S. Coast Guard scoured the river in boats, using infrared technology to search for heat signatures, said Ben Shearer, the fire department’s public information officer.

Officials also searched the bridge for a note and checked for abandoned vehicles, but found neither, Shearer said.

The Coast Guard calculated a person could possibly survive in the river up to two hours, given the water and air temperatures and current, and crews kept searching even beyond that time frame, Shearer said.

Two drivers headed across the bridge called 911 at about 9:45 a.m. to report possibly seeing someone jump.

Crews wrapped up their search after noon.

“This really isn’t an uncommon kind of call, we get three or four a year,” Shearer said.

“People are driving at 70 mph on the freeway — did they (see someone) jump from bridge, or from a traffic lane to the walking path? Without having witnesses (see someone enter the water), ... no cars ID’d at the scene ... without having more evidence to confirm one way or another, we may never know” what happened, he said.

Witnesses or anyone with information should call 509-628-0333.

This story was originally published January 15, 2019 at 10:08 AM.