NEW HOPE, Pa. -- An allegedly intoxicated man went from one watering hole to another Saturday evening when he vaulted from a shoreline bar into the Delaware River to avoid paying his tab, fire officials and a restaurant worker said.

The man came into the Sandbar on Main Street around 6:30 p.m., ran up a tab for five beers and did not want to pay, said Andrew Theoharris, a server at the bar.

Instead of settling up the roughly $25 tab, the visibly intoxicated man staggered out the back with several servers behind him as he walked towards the river.

"We thought we had him cornered and he had nowhere to go," Theoharris said.

Theoharris could not see clearly whether the man stumbled before jumping, but he saw the patron dive into the river to escape, he said.

Firefighters in boats found the man on a rocky area of shore not far from where he jumped. He was conscious and alert when firefighters showed up, having either washed up or made his way out of the frigid river under his own power.

"He was soaked," said Chief Tom Markey of the New Hope Eagle Volunteer Fire Company."Like his feet were still in the water and he was laying on the land."

The fire company and the Lambertville Rescue Squad put boats in the water and were able to reach the injured man about 15 minutes after he jumped, Markey said. He was vomiting and had a gash on his face, Theoharris said.

Markey said the man was taken to St. Mary Medical Center for treatment. Information on his condition and on whether he will face charges was not available yesterday. New Hope police did not return a phone message.

Theoharris said it was likely the man was drinking elsewhere before he arrived at the Sandbar. Markey said he believed the man's actions were evidence of his level of intoxication, "especially when you make a mistake and jump in the Delaware," he said.

Contact Alex Zdan at azdan@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5705.

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