A prisoner reportedly drowned while being transported from Bog Walk to Spanish Town on Wednesday. According to a preliminary report, the man, who was in police custody, allegedly jumped from the back of a Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) Hilux pickup around 12:57 p.m. on Flat Bridge.
Surveillance footage from the area captured the incident, showing the prisoner leaping from the moving vehicle as it crossed the bridge. According to a report from TVJ News, the prisoner was said to have been handcuffed to a tyre at the time of the jump. The video shows both the man and the tyre plunging, hitting the bridge before plunging into the Rio Cobre below. Moments later, the tyre could be seen resurfacing in the river and floating downstream. It is presumed that the man was still attached beneath it.
Roughly four minutes after the jump, at around 1:01 p.m., police officers were seen reappearing in the camera’s view. A second police vehicle arrived at approximately 1:36 p.m., suggesting that reinforcements had been called to the scene. By 2:00 p.m., a small crowd had begun to gather along the bridge, watching as officers investigated the area.
Traffic in the vicinity slowed considerably as officers redirected vehicles and continued their efforts near the riverbank. The video, which has since drawn public attention, provides no clear indication of when or how the prisoner’s body was retrieved. However, by 2:47 p.m., police were seen leaving the scene, marking nearly two hours since the man had gone overboard.
The identity of the deceased prisoner has not yet been released, and details surrounding his arrest remain undisclosed. The circumstances of how he came to be handcuffed to a tyre have also not been explained. While authorities have not confirmed whether the jump was an attempt to escape or a desperate act under distress, it is assumed that he had intended to make a getaway from the officers.
