Man drowns after falling from police vehicle into Rio Cobre

St Catherine, Jamaica — A man drowned on Wednesday afternoon after reportedly falling from the back of a Jamaica Constabulary Force pickup into the Rio Cobre in the Bog Walk Gorge, St Catherine.

The incident occurred close to 1 pm and was captured live by See Jamaica. Footage shows the police vehicle travelling across Flat Bridge at 12:57 pm, when the man appears to fall from the back of the pickup into the river, clutching what looked like a tyre. Moments later, the tyre was seen floating downstream, but the man had disappeared beneath the surface.

Police personnel were later seen on foot along the bridge and surrounding area searching for him. Several marked units arrived at the scene over the following hours as the search intensified.

In a later video, firefighters were seen retrieving the tyre with the man’s body attached, confirming that he had drowned.

The circumstances surrounding how the man ended up in the back of the police vehicle remain unclear. Attempts to obtain comment from the St Catherine North Police Division were unsuccessful.