A man exited the Galveston-Bolivar ferry and placed himself in the gulf waters about 7:30 a.m. Monday morning. He is presumed dead and the case is being treated as a suicide.
Operations of the ferry were suspended until 11:00 a.m. while authorities looked for the man.
The United States Coast Guard and ferry officials conducted a search using a helicopter and a boat to try to find him.
Coast Guard Officials told Breitbart Texas that the John W. Johnson ferry was in the middle of the ship channel between the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island when he went overboard.
There were 29 vehicles and 87 passengers on board when the man went over the side of the vessel.
Earlier news reports said the man jumped.
An eyewitness, a mother with her two children, said the events happened right in front of her.
The terrified mother posted on Facebook that she and her children witnessed the man crawl over the side of the ferry. He hung on the rail for a few seconds and then just let go.
Breitbart Texas spoke to employees at the ferry who said the crew launched the ferry boat but a strong flood current took him away, too far, and too fast, to rescue him.
Petty Officer Andy Kendrick of the U.S. Coast Guard told Breitbart Texas that the Coast Guard has stopped searching for the man. He said “witnesses saw him go under, and while our intention is always to save lives, we withdraw from searching when we see that is not possible.”
No body has been recovered.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.