Bedford Police Help Out with Body Recovery in Manchester

According to Jeffrey Hastings of Frame of Mind Photography, Manchester Fire, Manchester, Police, 911 received calls at approximately 5:30 p.m. on May 11, 2015, that a man was in the river in the area of the Queen City Bridge.

Upon arrival there was significant confusion with conflicting witnesses but eventually it was determined a man in his 30s attempted to swim from the West bank of the Merrimack River to the East Bank. His girlfriend said he had been drinking and possibly had used drugs today saw him struggling in the middle of the river north of the Queen City Bridge.

She recruited the help of two men from the homeless camp to use their canoe to attempt to locate the drowning man. Dispatch wasn’t called immediately, adding to the delay in the rescue.

Manchester Fire and Bedford Police launched a total of five boats and they patrolled the river from behind the Delta Dental Stadium to the I-293 bridge. NHSP assisted along with Manchester and a DHART Med Copter, which attempted to view the situation from the air.

At nightfall, the decision was made to pull all personnel from the river and NH Fish and Game and Marine Patrol will do a recovery mission in the morning with divers in the area of the bridge.

Captions: Scenes from the Queen City Bridge on May 11, 2015, as rescue workers attempt to find a missing swimmer. Credit: Jeffrey Hastings/Frame of Mind Photography. FrameofMindPhoto.com.