As the ferry Pocahontas neared the midway point of the James River around 2:30 p.m. on a cold, rainy Monday, a Williamsburg man leapt to his death into the frigid waters, authorities said.
The man was in the river about 15 minutes before being pulled into a rescue boat, said James City County police Lt. Jeremy Barnett. The water was about 47 degrees at the surface Monday, according to the National Weather Service. James City police yesterday identified the man as Daniel Robert Bartley, 84.
The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry, which runs between Jamestown and Surry County, was shut down for about two hours while police and fire officials investigated.
Officials said the ferry was on its way to Jamestown, when the man jumped overboard. The ferry crew immediately launched a rescue boat. The James City Fire Department and state wildlife officers also scrambled to launch boats from the Jamestown Yacht Basin, Barnett said.
The two ferry crew members took the man as far as Sandy Bay, near Jamestown Island, before the johnboat became grounded. James City rescue teams and police met the ferry workers.
The man was from Williamsburg but had driven onto the ferry on the Surry side, Barnett said.
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