ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The Lehigh County Coroner’s Office on Friday identified a 28-year-old Allentown man who jumped from the Tilghman Street Bridge into the Lehigh River on Thursday afternoon.
Jaquan T. Poston was pronounced dead at 4:45 p.m. Thursday by Coroner Daniel A. Buglio near the 600 block of Waterfront Drive. An autopsy completed Friday determined the cause of death was drowning.
Poston was seen on the north side of the Tilghman Street Bridge at approximately 12:40 p.m. Thursday before jumping into the river, according to the coroner’s office.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing Poston standing on the bridge for a prolonged period of time, during which he supposedly had at least one interaction with a police officer.
The Allentown Fire Department Underwater Recovery Team recovered his body from approximately 10 feet of water at 4:15 p.m.
Multiple agencies responded to the incident, including the Allentown Fire Department’s Underwater Recovery and Technical Rescue teams, Allentown Emergency Medical Services, Allentown Police Department, Whitehall Fire Department Dive Team, Lehigh County Special Operations, and the Lehigh County Drone Team.
The manner of death remains pending until the investigation is complete.
