CFD rescue reroutes shuffle

(Above) With two Chicago police boats in the river in front of Marina City Sunday morning, police and fire personnel in the middle of the State Street Bridge prepare to rescue a man on the underside of the bridge who has threatened to jump into the river. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

7-Apr-13 – Sunday’s Shamrock Shuffle detoured south on Wabash and Wacker this year, bypassing the State Street Bridge, where a man was talked out of jumping.

According to Chicago Fire Department spokesperson Rocco Salva, the man “gained access to the underside of the bridge.” Emergency vehicles blocked both ends of the State Street Bridge while police and fire boats patrolled the river.

At about 8:28 a.m., a shirtless, African-American man was walked north along the bridge and placed in an ambulance. After the man was taken away to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, crews hurried to clear the bridge. “We got off the bridge in time,” said Salva, “but I don’t know if they had time enough to move the barricades.”

The 8K race, Chicago’s first marathon of the year, was rerouted south on Wabash Avenue, west on Wacker Drive, then south on State Street past the bridge.

(Below) Chicago police and fire personnel on North State Street following the rescue.