PHILIPSBURG — The Sint Maarten Police Force is warning the public to refrain from engaging in dangerous behaviour after a man had to be reprimanded for jumping off the Simpson-Bay Bridge.
The police force said in conjunction with the Coast Guard, it responded to an incident on Thursday afternoon involving a man who jumped off the Simpson-Bay Bridge near the Coast Guard and Police stations.
Central dispatch received a call from an observant police officer stationed in Simpson-Bay, who reported a man seen jumping off the bridge into the perilous waterway and boat lane between the lagoon and the sea. This prompted an immediate response from officers and personnel of the Coast Guard, who initiated a search for the individual.
Despite extensive efforts, the search yielded no results, and both agencies prepared for the possibility of a tragic outcome. Later in the afternoon, technological resources revealed that the individual had managed to pull himself out of the water several hundred feet further downstream.
The person involved was later encountered by a police officer from Simpson-Bay and reprimanded for his unwarranted behavior.
The police force said this incident consumed valuable time and resources of both the police and the Coast Guard.