STAFFORD TOWNSHIP, N.J. – A large-scale search operation was launched Tuesday night after a motorist reported seeing someone jump from the Route 72 Causeway Bridge shortly after 10 p.m.
Responding officers found an unoccupied gray Toyota Camry parked near the top of the bridge.
Police said the car belongs to a 19-year-old man from Monmouth County.
Authorities quickly began coordinating an extensive air and water search across the bay.
Helicopters, boats, and drones comb the area
Stafford Township Police are being assisted by the U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police Marine Unit, Stafford Township Volunteer Fire and EMS, Ship Bottom Police, and Barnegat Police. Helicopters, marine units, and drone teams have been deployed to search the waters surrounding the bridge overnight.
Officials are urging the public to avoid the area and not to operate personal drones, which could interfere with the emergency aircraft conducting the search. As of late Tuesday evening, the subject had not been located.
Search efforts are continuing, with multiple agencies coordinating from both the Stafford and Long Beach Island sides of the bridge.