ACFD’s technical rescue, at the scene of the dead body spotted by the Potomac River
ACFD’s technical rescue team rappels down cliffs to access body found near the Potomac River
ACFD’s technical rescue team rappels down cliffs to access body found near the Potomac River
Photo courtesy Rob Laybourn
Photo courtesy Rob Laybourn
Approximate location of body found near Chain Bridge
Image via Google Maps
Emergency response on Chain Bridge
Emergency response to body found by the Potomac River
Emergency workers watch Arlington’s technical rescue team rappel to the dead body
ACFD’s technical rescue team rappels down cliffs to access body found near the Potomac River
ACFD’s technical rescue team rappels down cliffs to access body found near the Potomac River
The helicopter circles the scene at Chain Bridge
ACFD’s technical rescue team rappels down cliffs to access body found near the Potomac River
ACFD’s technical rescue team rappels down cliffs to access body found near the Potomac River
ACFD and ACPD rappel down the cliff to investigate the found dead body
ACFD and ACPD rappel down the cliff to investigate the found dead body
Photo courtesy Rob Laybourn
Photo courtesy Rob Laybourn
Photo courtesy Rob Laybourn
(Updated at 11:10 p.m.) One lane of Chain Bridge was blocked during tonight’s evening rush hour due to a grim discovery near the bridge.
An apparent dead body was spotted by hikers about 150 yards north of the bridge this afternoon. The body is said to be located on the rocks, close to the Potomac River.
Arlington County firefighters responded to the scene, and the fire department’s technical rescue team rappelled down the cliffs to access the body. A D.C. fire boat and a U.S. Park Police helicopter also assisted in the recovery operation.
At about 6:40 p.m., a member of the Arlington County Police Department was rappelling down the cliff, with assistance of a technical rescue team member, to investigate the scene, a police source told ARLnow.com.
Police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck confirmed a “large emergency response” at the scene, on the Virginia side of Chain Bridge, and said that crews are likely to remain on scene for an extended period of time.
One lane of the bridge was open in each direction at the accident scene, with heavy traffic reported on both the Virginia and D.C. sides of the bridge.
Photos viewed by ARLnow.com, taken from a distance, show that the victim was a light-skinned male. He appeared to be bleeding from the head and holding a dark object in his hand.
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