FORT EDWARD, NY — An 18-year-old man was arrested Thursday after fleeing from deputies, crashing into a bridge and jumping into the Hudson River, according to Sheriff Jeffrey J. Murphy.
Caleb A. Wadsworth, of Argyle, New York, was taken into custody following the incident on State Route 4.
Deputies were initially dispatched to McIntyre Street in the Village of Fort Edward in response to a report of a male in possession of a handgun.
The search extended to the Factory Street area, where a silver passenger vehicle had left the scene.
Deputies later spotted the vehicle and attempted to perform a traffic stop.
Wadsworth initially pulled over but then fled in the vehicle.
The vehicle continued south on State Route 4 and crashed into the Northumberland Bridge.
Wadsworth then exited the vehicle and jumped from the bridge into the Hudson River.
Two youths who were passengers in the vehicle remained on the bridge and surrendered to deputies without incident.
No weapon was located during the investigation.
A multi-agency response was immediately initiated.
The Schuylerville Fire Department deployed a boat, which was boarded by Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies and Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office deputies along with a K9 unit.
The team navigated to a small island west of the bridge, where Wadsworth was located hiding in thick vegetation and taken into custody.
New York State Police Aviation also assisted in the search.
Wadsworth was transported to the Washington County Law Enforcement Center in Fort Edward for processing.
The vehicle was subsequently determined to have been stolen from an adjoining county.
Wadsworth was charged with criminal possession of stolen property in the fourth degree, a class E felony; fleeing an officer in a motor vehicle in the third degree, a class A misdemeanor; obstructing governmental administration in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor; resisting arrest, a class A misdemeanor; unlawful imprisonment in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor; and reckless endangerment in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor.
He also received Vehicle and Traffic Law tickets in the towns of Fort Edward and Greenwich.
Wadsworth was arraigned through centralized arraignment and is lodged at the Washington County Jail in lieu of $40,000 cash or $80,000 bond.
Assisting agencies included New York State Police, NYS Police Aviation, Department of Homeland Security, Saratoga County Sheriff’s Office, Schuylerville Fire Department and Easton-Greenwich EMS.
