Police in St. Petersburg, Florida, have arrested John Jonchuck, 25, and charged him with murder after an officer reported seeing him toss his 5-year-old daughter, Phoebe, off the Dick Misener Bridge.
Yolanda Fernandez, a spokeswoman for the St. Petersburg police, told WFLA in Florida that one of the department’s officers was actually driving home and saw a car drive past at a high rate of speed. The car reached the top of the Dick Misener Bridge and stopped, she said.
“The man reached into the back seat, grabbed his little girl, held her under the arms and then threw her over the railing and into the water,” Ms. Fernandez said, CNN reported. “The officer heard the splash and immediately tried to climb down underneath the bridge … to try to save her, but the current was very strong there.”
The drop between bridge and water is about 62 feet, the local WFLA reported.
Mr. Jonchuck, later identified as the father, then drove off, CNN said. He was arrested and charged with the girl’s murder and is at the Pinellas County Jail, CNN said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.