BUCKSPORT – A man was able to swim to shore Thursday afternoon after he jumped off the bridge between Bucksport and Verona into the icy Penobscot River.

The initial call came in a little after 2:30 p.m. from a driver who reported that the man, who was not immediately identified, had climbed over the railing of the Penobscot Narrows Bridge and was hanging on over the water about halfway across the bridge, according to Bucksport police Officer David Winchester.

The temperature of the water was estimated to be 40 F at the time.

Winchester said he was in his cruiser on his way to the bridge when a second call reported that the man had jumped. The man dropped approximately 30 feet into the water.

“I got there and I could see him in the water behind the Irving station trying to swim toward shore,” he said. “There were citizens on the shore trying to talk him back to shore.”

An unidentified man waded waist deep into the river to help the jumper toward land. Winchester, other rescue personnel and residents were able to get the jumper onto shore and into a waiting ambulance.

The man was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, where he was expected to be treated for hypothermia and to undergo a psychological examination.

According to Officer Winchester, alcohol was a factor in the incident.