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New Orleans teen drowns after jumping from bridge in Calcasieu Parish

Posted at 6:04 PM, Apr 24, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-24 19:09:46-04

The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office says a 16-year-old has drowned after jumping from a bridge near Moss Bluff.

Around 3:00 p.m. today the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office Marine Division was dispatched to Dunn Ferry Road at the West Fork bridge in the Moss Bluff area in reference to a possible drowning.

Once they arrived, deputies say they were able to recover 16-year-old Wardell Baptiste of New Orleans from the water. He was taken to a local hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead at the hospital

The investigation revealed a group of teens was jumping off the bridge but when Baptiste jumped off, he surfaced but went under the water again and did not resurface.

Baptiste was visiting family members in this area during spring break, according to the sheriff’s office.