ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Emergency responders recovered a man’s body from the Lehigh River on Thursday afternoon after witnesses reported seeing him jump from the Tilghman Street Bridge.

Fire Capt. John Hammel said bystanders saw the man jump around 12:45 p.m. Police officers and other witnesses reported seeing him briefly above the water before he disappeared.

By 2 p.m., multiple boats and a dive team were searching the river. His body was later recovered.

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man jumps from tilghman street bridge allentown pa august 21 2025
(photo courtesy wetherhold photography)

“He was wearing a red hoodie and looking up at the sky,” Emerald Mimi Lotti, an eyewitness, said. “I drove back an hour later and he was still standing there. I was concerned because it didn’t seem normal to just be standing on the bridge. I was thinking something is not right.”

Chris Parker, another eyewitness, reported seeing the man jump directly.

“The officer pulled around me westbound and stopped on the bridge,” Parker said. “He got out of his vehicle and as he approached the front of his vehicle, the man jumped on top of the wall and never stopped. He jumped.”

Authorities have not released the man’s name or any additional details. The case is still developing.