A man who reportedly jumped off an Allentown bridge Thursday afternoon died by drowning, the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office said Friday.
He is identified as 28-year-old Jaquan T. Poston, of Allentown. His body was recovered around 4:15 p.m. Thursday from the Lehigh River near the city’s 600 block of Waterfront Drive, where he was pronounced dead by Lehigh County Coroner Daniel A. Buglio.
An autopsy was completed Friday morning. Buglio said the manner of death is pending a further investigation.
Just after 12:30 p.m., witnesses observed Poston on the north side of the Tilghman Street Bridge. Witnesses reported seeing Poston jump into the river. Authorities said the water was about 10 feet deep in that section.
It’s unclear what led Poston to jump from the bridge. City police Capt. Christopher Diehl told lehighvalleylive.com police were not releasing more details until the investigation is fully completed.
Assisting the Allentown Police Department at the scene were the Allentown Fire Department Underwater Recovery and Technical Rescue teams; Allentown Emergency Medical Services; Whitehall Fire Department Dive Team; and Lehigh County Special Operations with their Lehigh County Drone Team.
Thursday’s incident remains under investigation by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office, Allentown Police Department and the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
Multiple rescue teams searched for hours after witnesses saw the 28-year-old jump from Tilghman Street Bridge into 10-foot deep water, authorities said.Mike Nester | lehighvalleylive.com contributor
Editor’s note: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with the proper mental health support and treatment. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME or HOLA to 741741.
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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
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