FORT EDWARD, NY, An 18-year-old man was taken into custody Thursday after a chain of events that began with a report of a male with a handgun and ended with a jump into the Hudson River, the Washington County Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies responded to McIntyre Street in the Village of Fort Edward on a report of a man with a handgun. The search later moved to Factory Street, where a silver passenger vehicle had left the scene. Deputies spotted the vehicle and attempted a traffic stop on State Route 4. The driver initially pulled over then fled, crashing into the Northumberland Bridge.
The driver, identified as Caleb A. Wadsworth of Argyle, N.Y., then exited the vehicle and jumped from the bridge into the Hudson River. Two juvenile passengers remained on the bridge and surrendered without incident. Deputies later located Wadsworth hiding in thick vegetation on a small island west of the bridge, with assistance from Schuylerville Fire Department boat crews and a K9 unit. New York State Police Aviation also assisted.
The vehicle was later determined to have been stolen from an adjoining county. No weapon was found.
Wadsworth faces charges including fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property (a felony), third-degree fleeing an officer, second-degree obstructing governmental administration, resisting arrest, second-degree unlawful imprisonment, and second-degree reckless endangerment (all misdemeanors). He also received traffic tickets. After arraignment, he was held at Washington County Jail on $40,000 cash or $80,000 bond.
Originally reported by Newport Dispatch.
Photo: fotoinformator pl via Pexels. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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