PORT ANGELES — A false report of a jumper from one of the two Eighth Street bridges electrified social media Wednesday.
Police responded to a report of jumper on an Eighth Street bridge at 3 p.m. Wednesday but found nothing, said Deputy Chief Brian Smith.
He said that police units arrived within a minute of the call.
Units on both sides of the Tumwater and Valley Street ravines saw nothing to support the report, he said.
Arriving units were able to see the entire length of the two bridges from the Eighth and C streets intersection as well as the east end, near Cherry Street, he said.
They also checked below the bridges to confirm no one had jumped.
Facebook reports told of hearing that a person had jumped.
Contrary to other Facebook reports, there was also no one photographing someone climbing on the railing, police said.
On Wednesday, police were not sure whether the jumper was reported over the Tumwater or Valley Street ravines and checked both.
“We believe someone in good faith reported what they were seeing,” Smith said. “It’s not that uncommon.”
Actually, the deputy chief said that police encourage such calls, even if they are unfounded.
Police, he said, know that citizens were just reporting something they saw, even if it turned out untrue.
The Port Angeles Police Department, he said, does not receive that many unfounded reports.
“It’s all good,” he added. “We take all reports seriously.”
He noted that police have also investigated reports about bridge jumpers and found people who are threatening to jump.
“We encourage people to be aware of their surroundings around the bridge,” he said.
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Reporter Mark Swanson can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5054, or mswanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
