AUBURN — First responders from Auburn rescued a man Wednesday morning from the Androscoggin River after he jumped off Longley Bridge, according to Chief Deputy Tim Cougle of the Auburn Police Department.
Cougle said that about 11:30 a.m., dispatchers began to receive phone calls about a man standing on the railing of the Longley Bridge, threatening to jump off.
“A few seconds after the first calls, the man emptied his pockets on the bridge and jumped over the edge, falling to the water below,” Cougle said.
The man, who Cougle said would not be identified, was located by police officers and tracked while the Auburn Fire Department launched a rescue boat into the river.
Cougle said the man eventually made his way onto the base of one of the concrete columns under the bridge and began to talk with the officers on the riverbank.
“The man was in a mental health crisis and continued to repeat that he wanted to kill himself,” Cougle said.
Officers continued to talk with the man until the rescue boat made its way to his location.
Cougle said the man did not receive any serious injuries and was taken to St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center for further evaluation.
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