TOMS RIVER, NJ – A male suspect who fled from an earlier domestic disturbance call by police on the barrier island ended up jumping off the J. Stanley Tunney Bridge (Route 37 West) Sunday night.
Police chased a male suspect southbound in the northbound lane of Route 35, but called off the pursuit for safety concerns. The male suspect eventually made it to the Thomas Mathis Bridge after striking several parked vehicles along the way. Once arriving at the bridge, he struck two more vehicles.
The suspect then jumped off the bridge into the Barnegat Bay below, but was picked up by a New Jersey State Police Marine unit on patrol in the bay, according to Toms River Police Department spokeswoman Jillian Messina.
After being brought to land at the base of the Route 37 bridge, he was transported to Community Medical Center for observation.
The incident was handled by the Seaside Heights Police Depatment where the original call for service was made, even though it ended in Toms River. He was processed by the Seaside Heights Police Department, but pending charges are unknown at this time.