Police Search Lehigh River for Possible Body


WHITE HAVEN --It was a busy morning for emergency responders in Carbon and Luzerne Counties as dozens of crews searched the Lehigh River for a possible body.

State police said a nearby resident reported seeing a woman on the bridge earlier this morning. The man told police within a few seconds the woman suddenly disappeared.

The woman is described as a blonde female wearing a tan top and blue pants.

The witness said he worried that she might have jumped into the water.

Firefighters said the water is only about five feet deep and there are a lot of rocks at the bottom.

A state police helicopter flew over the area looking for the woman.

Police ended the search around 1:30 p.m.

Officials said the witness wasn't sure if the woman jumped in or if someone may have picked her up.

Chief Mike Dotter of the White Haven Fire Company said it was still important to search the area.

"At this point we don't have anything confirmed that anybody jumped off the bridge or anybody is reported missing. But, we wanted to search the area to make sure there was nobody in there," Dotter said.

Dotter said the river is a popular spot for white water rafting so the current was stronger than normal.

Officials said they will wait to see if a missing person report is filed to continue the investigation.
