Man Jumps from Vincent Thomas Bridge

A man jumped to his death today from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, authorities said.

The man, who witnesses said appeared to be in his early 20s, landed in the main channel of the port close to the Catalina Express facility off Swinford Steet, said Phillip Sanfield, spokesman for the Port of Los Angeles.

The man was pulled from the water and taken aboard a rescue boat and subsequently pronounced dead, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

The California Highway Patrol had requested the fire department's assistance at 5:21 p.m. for what Humphrey called a "behavioral emergency."

The man may have been in phone contact with authorities before he jumped, Sanfield said.

--City News Service