Specialized teams of firefighters as well as several law enforcement agencies responded to the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge on Tuesday for a report of a man who fell off the bridge.
At approximately 9:50 pm, Paul Montenero, age 29 of the Town of Poughkeepsie, fell off the bridge after the vehicle he was traveling in became disabled in the eastbound lanes of traffic. Montenero attempted to get to a safer location by trying to gain access to the pedestrian walkway located adjacent to the roadway. Instead, he fell through a gap between the roadway and the pedestrian walkway, the New York State Police reported.
The Middlehope Fire Department was initially called to the scene for a report of a person who had jumped, which turned out to be incorrect. The fire department’s incident commander activated the Orange County Technical Rescue Team to respond to the scene to recover the patient, who was located below the bridge.
Rope rescue teams from the City of Newburgh, West Point, Sparrowbush, and Port Jervis Fire Departments all responded to repel off the bridge and recover the patient. The City of Newburgh Fire Department, New Hamburg Fire Department, and Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office also responded with their boats.
The victim’s body was recovered by the Orange County Technical Rescue Team.
The New York State Police from Troops F and K, along with the New York State Bridge Authority, and the aforementioned fire departments all responded to assist.
Montenero graduated from Mercy College in 2018 with a Master’s degree in marketing.
