A Wall man who jumped off the Route 88 bridge has been charged with swimming in the canal and disorderly conduct, police said Monday.
Devon R. Kuehnen, 34, of the Allenwood section of Wall, suffered only a minor laceration to his nose after jumping from the bridge late Friday night and setting off a massive manhunt that lasted more than two hours, police said.
Police, divers, first aid and fire department volunteers searched the canal and surrounding areas before finding Kuehnen safe on a canal bank early Saturday morning, police said.
He was charged and released on a summons. Swimming in the canal is prohibited by borough ordinance.
A bridge tender called the police at 11:48 p.m. Friday, saying a man had jumped from the bridge, prompting police to call in multiple other emergency responders to help with the search.
Point Pleasant Borough Fire Company Station 75 and their scuba dive team, the Brick Township Fire Department, the Point Boro First Aid Squad, and the Coast Guard’s Manasquan Station in Point Pleasant Beach all responded to the scene, police said.
The Coast Guard dispatched boats and a helicopter from Air Station Atlantic City to assist in a search and rescue mission.
“The man who jumped from the bridge was later found, not injured or harmed, at 2:06 a.m. on the canal bank,” said Lt. Michael Colwell.
The scene was cleared at approximately 2:32 a.m., Colwell said.
The lead investigator was Borough Officer Siveen Greenan.
