Big Four Bridge jumper's body found

Police have found the body of a man who reportedly jumped off the Big Four Bridge into the Ohio River.

The body was found around 3 p.m. Friday underneath the Big Four Bridge, said Louisville Metro Police spokeswoman Alicia Smiley. The man has not yet been identified by the Jefferson County coroner.

Divers had resumed searching by noon Friday for the man who jumped into the waters on Thursday evening.

Witnesses told police a man was sitting on the bridge's railing when he stood, stripped his shirt and removed his wallet before jumping around 6:25 p.m. Thursday, Smiley said.

The man resurfaced momentarily and appeared to struggle to swim before the current pulled him beneath the bridge, Smiley said. Witnesses did not see him resurface.

The Jeffersonville Police Department and Louisville Fire and Rescue searched the Indiana side of the river while the LMPD River Unit and Dive Team searched the Kentucky side.

She declined to identify the man but said he is believed to be in his 40s and was talking with pedestrians on the bridge before he jumped.

Reporter Matthew Glowicki can be reached at (502) 582-4989 or mglowicki@courier-journal.com.