Mary Alice Reporting –
First responders were on scene Monday evening, for about three hours, following a call about a man going into the water.
Dover Fire Captain Joe Minocchi says that they had different reports of people seeing the young man go into the water, but no one could confirm if he came out of the Tuscarawas River.
The 6:30pm incident was at the S. Wooster Avenue bridge where the water depth was about 10 feet.
“We had divers from New Philadelphia fire and Dover. The divers checked the water and searched the best they could in the area that we thought was his entry point. Once the divers felt they cleared the area, we had a local gentleman who had forward facing sonar on his boat. He went through and did a scan with Dover fire personnel on his boat, and they deem that there was nobody in the water.”
Ultimately, no one was found, and fire and police personnel are asking anyone who may know the person or the young man to contact the police or fire department to confirm his well-being.
Captain Minocchi adds that overall, it’s a dangerous condition for the person but also the divers.
“There are rocks, trees, debris all kinds of things underneath that you can’t really see. The diver’s yesterday seen that there’s a stop sign, a tree, and a bicycle all wrapped up in front of the one pile on, so it’s a very dangerous situation.”
He notes that the situation could have had a different outcome and encourages individuals to not attempt jumping off any local bridges.
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