Person found alive and well after report of someone jumping from Kansas River bridge

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Post updated at 12:05 p.m. Wednesday:

A man was found uninjured after a report that someone had jumped off the bridge over the Kansas River Wednesday morning.

Lt. Rob Murry with the Lawrence Police Department said a person driving across the bridge had reported that they saw a man jump off the north end of the southbound bridge. The call came in around 10:35 a.m. Wednesday.

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Police weren’t sure if the person may have jumped onto land or if he had jumped into water, so they were searching both, Murry said. First responders were searching the river in a boat and a raft.

Murry said police thought they may have found the man who had jumped alive. They had found a man who matched the description the caller gave and confirmed that he was not in the water.

Justin Temple, division chief of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical, confirmed that by around 11:40 a.m., first responders had determined that no one had jumped into the water. They were pulling the boats in.

Laura McCabe, a spokesperson for LPD, said via email that “After several units responded and investigated, we were able to identify the possible victim and contacted him and a family member. He’s safe and sound.

“In an abundance of caution, officers continued to check the water and canvass the area, but the call was ultimately unfounded.”

Related story: Experts warn that Kansas River can be especially dangerous near dams

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