The following statement was released by the Brandenburg Police Department and Chief Brian Haag in regard to the tragic incident that took place at the Matthew E. Welsh Bridge on Saturday:
On August 17 at 2:17 p.m., the Brandenburg Police Department and the Meade County Sheriff’s Office responded to a 911 call of a juvenile male that jumped from the Matthew E. Welsh Bridge into the Ohio River. Units arrived on the bridge and made contact with a family member. The family member confirmed that their 15 year old son jumped from the bridge. Units began to secure the scene (which included the closure of the Matthew E. Welsh Bridge). Emergency crews from Meade County Fire, Meade County EMS were dispatched to the scene. Meade County Fire responded with two rescue boats, along with resources from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, Kentucky State Police, Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Louisville Metro Police River Unit/Dive Team and Meade County Emergency Management. All search efforts were called off at dark and scheduled to resume on the morning of August 18.
Chief Brian Haag and Jeff Cox (Director of Meade County EMA) coordinated additional search efforts for Sunday morning. Crews from Owensboro Fire Department, KY Fish and Wildlife, Meade County Fire Department and private citizens resumed search efforts at noon. The American Red Cross and local private business provided food and drinks at the boat ramp in Brandenburg for the emergency crews.
At 3:30 p.m., search crews working the area of the Ohio River Bridge located and recovered the juvenile from the water. The Meade County Coroner was notified and responded to the Brandenburg Boat Dock. The juvenile was turned over to the Meade County Coroner and the family was notified.
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