Police chase ends in leap from bridge

A man who led police on a chase through Old City before jumping off the Benjamin Franklin Bridge into the Delaware River early yesterday morning was not expected to be found alive.

Marine units from the Delaware River Port Authority and New Jersey State Police declared their search a recovery rather than rescue mission by last night, said John Miller, a DRPA spokesman.

The police pursuit began after the man tried to run over an officer in the 700 block of Arch Street late Saturday, according to police spokeswoman Yolanda Dawkins. It was unclear what led to that situation.

The chase led to the New Jersey side of the bridge, where the man got out of his vehicle, she said.

Miller said the man walked onto the PATCO train tracks along the edge of the bridge, then leapt over the side.

The road-deck height above the water varies but averages about 135 feet, according to the nonprofit regional history Web site USHistory.org.

The Coast Guard searched until 3 a.m. yesterday, then called off its effort after consulting a survivability chart that takes water temperature into consideration, said Joe Hartline, search and rescue controller for the Coast Guard station in Philadelphia.

Surviving in the cold water, which never got above 44 degrees yesterday, would be unlikely after three hours, Hartline said.

The two marine police units resumed the search at daylight yesterday. If no remains turn up by this morning, they plan to resume the search, Miller said.