A 26-year-old man was arrested on July 24 after he jumped or fell off the Route 50 Bridge in Ocean City. He was reportedly found hiding under the bridge. Ocean City Police arrested him for trespassing, intoxication and endangering emergency responders.
The incident began when a man who was fishing on the bridge in the middle of the night called the police to report a person whom he saw in the water "struggling to hold onto the base of the bridge," according to law enforcement.
The U.S. Coast Guard as well as the Ocean City Fire Department went to the scene. By the time they arrived, the man had already managed to get out of the water by himself. However, police had to go into the machinery that controls the drawbridge in order to get to him.
Authorities say they don't know how the man, who is from Florida, got into the water. He was not injured.
This wasn't the first incident this summer of someone going into the water from a Maryland Bridge. In June, two people were spotted jumping off of the Route 90 Bridge. They were never located. Authorities believe that someone passing by on a boat rescued them.
People do careless and sometimes dangerous things when they're under the influence. You don't have to be driving a car drunk to find yourself under arrest. When first responders have to be called out and risk their own safety to rescue someone who shouldn't have placed him or herself in danger, that person can face criminal charges. It's important to seek the guidance of an attorney to help present your side of the story and mitigate the potential legal consequences.
Source: delmarvanow.com, "Man found hiding under OC Route 50 bridge after crawling out of water," Doug Ferrar, July 24, 2017