Man Jumps Off Mackinac Bridge During Annual Policy Conference

MACKINAC CITY (WWJ) - While the who's who of Michigan politics were hobnobbing on Mackinac Island Wednesday, the Coast Guard was busy making a dramatic rescue.

A man remained hospitalized on Thursday after a jump off the Mackinac Bridge.

Lt. Rob Scott said the Coast Guard told WWJ Newsradio the 911 call came in at around 6 a.m.

"A driver that was crossing the Mackinac Bridge witnessed a parked vehicle and somebody that had just jumped off of the bridge," said Scott.

Scott said fog was a problem for the Coast Guard crew, who took about an hour to reach the scene. When they arrived, they found the man floating face up in the water.

Is Scott surprised the jumper survived?

"Well, 75 feet is not a huge distance to fall ... The water temperature, of course, is cold," said Scott. "But depending on his health when he entered [the water] ... He was floating, so he may not have been completely submerged."

Scott said the man was  lucid and responsive when the rescue crew arrived, even though he had been in the chilly water for an hour.

It's unclear why the man jumped. His condition was unknown Thursday afternoon.

His name was not released.

The rescue took place as the state's business and political leaders were arriving by the hundreds on nearby Mackinac Island for the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference. (Complete conference coverage here).