Authorities searching for BYU-I student who is presumed drowned in the Henrys Fork
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ST. ANTHONY – A search is underway for a missing Brigham Young University-Idaho student who jumped off a bridge in St. Anthony Thursday afternoon and is presumed to have drowned.
Fremont County Sheriff Len Humphries tells EastIdahoNews.com that a male student and two of his friends jumped off the Fun Farm Bridge at 699 North 2650 East while swimming in the Henrys Fork of the Snake River. It happened around 3:30 p.m.
Two of the friends swam back to shore, while the other got caught in the current and floated downstream.
Fremont County Search and Rescue and St. Anthony Police Department got involved a short time later. Officers are using a drone to try and locate the missing swimmer.
After searching for several hours, authorities believe he might have drowned and may be trapped in an irrigation diversion dam several hundred yards down the river.
“It may take a while to find him,” Humphries says.
Bridge jumping in this area is a popular activity for many people. A similar incident occurred in 2019 when a 23-year-old man drowned after jumping off this same bridge.
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Humphries says this section of the river is extremely dangerous and is urging people to avoid swimming or bridge jumping in the area.
“Spring runoff is not a good time to swim in Idaho Rivers. The water is cold and the river is high and it’s very dangerous,” he says.
Authorities will continue to search for the man’s body on Friday. EastIdahoNews.com will update this story with new information once it’s available.