More questions than answers in search for man seen jumping from Hulton Bridge
More questions than answers remain as authorities continue to search the Allegheny River for a man witnesses say jumped from the Hulton Bridge between Harmar and Oakmont after crashing his car Tuesday evening.
The man remains missing and unidentified publicly, Harmar police Chief Jason Domaratz said Thursday while providing an update on the search.
Items found in the car, a burgundy Dodge Neon, and the vehicle’s registration indicate the owner of the car is a 42-year-old man from the Verona area.
“He isn’t being identified because we don’t know 100% if he was driving,” Domaratz said.
The only description police have is that the man who jumped was wearing dark clothing, Domaratz said.
The river search resumed for the third day at 3 p.m. Thursday, conducted by volunteers from Elizabeth Township No. 139 Search and Rescue Side Sonar Aquatic Team.
There were three search boats in the water Thursday, including one from the Allegheny Valley Fire Department, at 5 p.m. as dusk fell.
The Elizabeth Township crew had assisted Domaratz in search efforts Wednesday afternoon at the Hulton Bridge until midnight.
The chief said there were “some areas of interest” to be probed Thursday.
Sonar sends sound waves through the water that bounce back to a receiver that then converts them into a picture, showing objects underwater.
The sonar being used can look at a swath of river bottom about 54 feet wide, Domaratz said.
According to Domaratz, the man was driving across the bridge from Harmar toward Oakmont when the accident occurred.
Police have confirmed the missing man was not involved in a police chase or pursuit Tuesday evening, and no drugs, alcohol or contraband were found in his car, police said.
The Hulton Bridge was not damaged by the impact of the crash because it occurred on an all-concrete section of the bridge, police said.
A cellphone was discovered in the vehicle.
Police have contacted the missing man’s relatives, but no further information was made available.
Domaratz said the search is active and ongoing.
“We were hopeful the man would have survived the jump and maybe shown up at his house,” Domaratz said, adding that in the past some jumpers have survived a fall from that bridge.
The water depth of the targeted search area is believed to be about 12 feet deep.
Dan Felack, marine commander for the Lower Kiski Water Rescue/Public Safety Dive Team, was on the scene Tuesday night.
Felack, of New Kensington, a veteran rescue diver with more than 40 years of experience, noted that, in the past, people have jumped off the Tarentum Bridge, which is higher than the Hulton Bridge, and lived.
He said the sonar search detects hard and soft objects underwater and displays images on a screen onboard for rescue team professionals to evaluate.
“It can be fairly easy, to extremely difficult — depending on what’s in the river, and if it’s a hard object or something soft. A body is soft and could be more difficult to identify because the sonar reflection would not be as defined,” Felack said.
A lot of debris underwater can complicate the search, he said.
Felack said the area under the Hulton Bridge could potentially have more debris.
“It depends because the bridge piers tend to collect debris traveling downriver, but the pillars are newer, and my guess would be the bottom is fairly clear,” Felack said.
Felack estimated the river temperature to be about 54 degrees; he described the current as light because of the lack of rain.
Why the man jumped into the river remains a mystery.
“The bottom line is, it’s difficult to understand the mind of an irrational person, because a rational person doesn’t jump off of a bridge,” Felack said.
The investigation is being handled by the Harmar Police Department.
Anyone with any information on the missing man is asked to call 724-274-5525.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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