SEARCH FOR BRIDGE JUMPER NOW A RECOVERY OPERATION.

The RCMP says the search for a man who jumped off the Hillsborough Bridge on Christmas Day has become a recovery operation.

Members of the RCMP dive team from New Brunswick are on the Island to search for the man’s body, but weather conditions around the bridge Wednesday were not ideal for the operation, Staff Sgt. Kevin Baillie told The Guardian. “With the temperatures we’re having, ice has been forming quickly, and members determined that given the ice conditions, they couldn’t safely launch the boat to use as a dive platform,” he said. “With the cold weather and the ice in the water, it wasn’t advisable to either put our boat in the water or put divers in the water right at the bridge.”

But the search isn’t over, he said.

“They haven’t given up, they will monitor conditions, and when conditions improve we’ll certainly get divers in the water and try to do a recovery.”

A witness told police that a man exited his parked vehicle and jumped into the water around 8: 30 p. m. on Dec. 25. “There was a gentleman who had stopped and saw the car with the four- ways on,” Baillie said. “He tried to get to him before he jumped.”

At the time, a storm surge and wind warning were in effect for the area. Winds were expected to reach gusts of 100 km/ h near coastal areas.

Because of the Privacy Act, police cannot release the name of the man who jumped, but did say he was a 42- year- old local man. As far as the RCMP know, he was not married and did not have any children.

There were indications the man had been struggling, he said.

“In speaking to family and friends, the man did have some issues … there had been indication that he was having some difficulty.”