Man Jumps From Bridge With His Children In Wanaque, NJ, Police Say
WANAQUE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A man jumped from Interstate 287 in Wanaque, New Jersey, with his two children Monday night, state police said.
The man died, but the children survived.
Pequannock police were called at 6:55 p.m. to a residence on Greenview Avenue in Pequannock in Morris County for a report of a man threatening to harm his family, CBS2's Tony Aiello reported.
A woman told police she and her husband were quarreling when the husband said he was going to harm their children, police said. He took the children from the home, put them in his white sport-utility vehicle and left, police said.
Officers gathered all relevant information at the house, including vehicle and cellphone data, and contacted the missing persons units from the Morris County Prosecutor's office and New Jersey State Police.
They found the father's vehicle on southbound I-287 at milepost 56.4 in Wanaque Township through the GPS of his cellphone, and discovered him with the two children beneath the bridge, police said.
Detectives believe the father jumped with the children from the overpass into a wooded area near the Wanaque River, state police said.
The man somehow got over or around an eight-foot fence when he jumped. He jumped anywhere from 20 to 50 feet – the exact distance was hard to tell in the dark, Aiello reported.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene, while the children -- boys ages 2 and 4 -- were taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson with non-life-threatening injuries, state police said.
The investigation continued late Monday night.