Stolen car suspect falls off Bay Bridge evading police

Video: Woman Jumps From Bay Bridge To Avoid CHP Following Crash

In an apparent daredevil attempt to evade arrest, a woman who wrecked a stolen car on the Bay Bridge early Wednesday fell about 70 feet from the span to the water and got away after pulling out of the grip of a California Highway Patrol officer, authorities said.

The bizarre getaway — reminiscent of a scene from “Mission: Impossible” — unfolded shortly after 2 a.m. when CHP officers heading west on the bridge saw a Nissan Maxima spin out and crash on the eastbound side of the span.

The officers turned around, found the Nissan abandoned and saw three women walking east on the bicycle path adjacent to the bridge.

One of the women, believed to be the driver, began climbing onto the rail and “exhibited erratic behavior,” leading the officers to believe she would jump, CHP officials said. She had on a black dress and no shoes.

One of the officers grabbed her to try to pull her back over the railing. But she struggled, and after a minute and a half, “she pulled out of his grip and fell into the water below,” CHP officials said.

The woman, who is in her mid-20s, splashed in the water about 70 feet below, in between the new bridge and the old eastern span, authorities said.

Some motorists reported seeing a woman, soaking wet, standing on the north side of the bridge near the toll plaza trying to flag down traffic.

In this file photo motorists travel east and west bound during the Bay Bridge morning commute. Police are searching for a woman who apparently fell or jumped from the Bay Bridge after being involved in a crash on the eastbound decline of the bridge shortly after 2 a.m.. less In this file photo motorists travel east and west bound during the Bay Bridge morning commute. Police are searching for a woman who apparently fell or jumped from the Bay Bridge after being involved in a crash ... more Photo: Michael Macor, San Francisco Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, San Francisco Chronicle Image 1 of / 14 Caption Close Stolen car suspect falls off Bay Bridge evading police 1 / 14 Back to Gallery

A dump truck driver later showed up at the CHP’s Oakland office, saying he had picked up the woman near the Bay Bridge, but was unaware of her exploits until hearing news reports after he dropped her off at an undisclosed location.

While CHP officials said they were investigating whether the woman deliberately went into the water from the bridge to avoid arrest, they noted that she could have accidentally fallen after losing her grip. Authorities said such a fall is survivable.

Officers deployed a dye pack into the water to mark the location where she went in. CHP officers and the U.S. Coast Guard searched for the woman by boat and by helicopter. The only evidence recovered was identification believed to be the woman’s floating in the water. CHP officials withheld her name but said she is from the East Bay.

Investigators determined that the car that crashed had been reported stolen several weeks ago in Los Angeles, said CHP Officer Vu Williams.

CHP investigators interviewed the two other women who were in the car and released them. The women said they “didn’t know the (driver) too well,” Williams said. Officials would not disclose any further information about their investigation.

“We would like to find her, obviously, most notably because we’d like to make sure that she’s OK,” said CHP Officer Daniel Hill.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com

Twitter: @henryklee