Two young boys are expected to make full recoveries after their father grabbed them and jumped from a New Jersey highway bridge Monday night, killing only himself.
New Jersey State Police said they received a call from the Pequannock Police Department at 8:08 p.m. about a possible suicide attempt in the town of Wanaque.
“It was reported that a man may have jumped into the Wanaque River with his two children,” the state police said in a statement posted to Facebook.
In their search for the father and sons, authorities located the man’s car on a stretch of Interstate 287 that overlooks the river.
“Based on the preliminary investigation, detectives have determined that the father intentionally jumped with the two children from the I-287 overpass into a wooded area near the Wanaque River,” New Jersey State Police said.
Officers believe the man climbed over the suicide prevention fence that borders the freeway before he jumped, NBC New York reported.
The children were transported to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, New Jersey, to treat their minor injuries.
Pequannock Police Department spokesperson Christopher DePuyt told BuzzFeed News that both boys suffered concussions. The 1-year-old boy also had a bruised lung from the incident.
"Their mother has been notified and is in the hospital with them," DePuyt said. "Both children appear that they'll make full recoveries."