Landscaper Jhon Michel Drowns After Jumping Off Bridge To Swim In Scituate

SCITUATE (CBS) -- The man who drowned after jumping off a bridge in Scituate Tuesday has been identified as 29-year-old Jhon Michel of Brockton.

Michel was seen jumping off the Edward Foster Bridge near Scituate Harbor Tuesday afternoon, but he did not come up.

He was found about an hour-and-a-half later and rushed to South Shore Hospital where he died.

"It's like a rip current, so it goes in a circle, and it can just pull you under in seconds," said Neveah Dwyer, who was on the bridge at the time as people jumped off into the water.

"I wouldn't consider it dangerous," Jim Duffy told WBZ-TV. "Young kids jump off that bridge all the time."

According to the Scituate Police Department, Michel worked at a local landscaping company.

At about 2:30 p.m., a pair of landscaping trucks pulled up, and three of the men decided to go for a swim.

The incoming tide pulled Michel, and he began to yell for help. The Scituate Fire Department's Dive Team was practicing nearby and responded immediately.

"It's an awful start to the summer and I think it's just going to go on from here," said Town Administrator Jim Boudreau. He said the strong current and the cold water can pack a double punch. "The water is very cold this time of year. You get hot, you jump in, the cold water hits you, you're going to cramp up. You're going to have a problem swimming; it saps your strength in a hurry."