1 Rescued, 1 Missing After 2 People Jump From Bridge Over Barnegat Bay

TOMS RIVER, NJ — One person was rescued Monday and a second remained missing after two people jumped from the J. Stanley Tunney Bridge on Route 37, authorities said.

Callers reported a person had jumped into the water at 2:34 p.m. Monday, East Dover Fire Company officials said.

When East Dover Fire Chief Travis Veth arrived four minutes later he found a second person on the bridge, the fire company said.

As Veth approached, that person jumped into the water. The person remained alert and conscious, and a life ring was thrown to them. A fireboat from Island Heights Fire Company pulled the person from the water and brought them to Pier One Marina, at the base of the bridge in Toms River. From there the person was taken by EMS to a hospital, the fire company said.

Witnesses and video available of the bridge showed another person had jumped before Veth arrived, so a search began but was suspended about 8:45 p.m. due to safety concerns.

The second person remained missing at that time, the fire company said.

The U.S. Coast Guard, New Jersey State Police, the Ocean County Sheriff's Office, Ocean Beach Fire Company and a dive team from Brick Township, along with the drone unit from the Toms River Police Department, conducted the search Monday, the fire company said.

"East Dover Fire Company thanks all responding agencies for their assistance. Our thoughts are with those involved and their families," the fire company said.