A man who jumped off the Pelly Crossing bridge Saturday night remains missing today.

Richard Hager, 21, of Pelly Crossing, jumped into the river for a swim at about 10 p.m. Saturday and was unable to make it to shore.

“We want to remain optimistic, but we have to be realistic,” RCMP Cpl. Josh Wiese said at mid-day today about the likelihood of finding Hager alive.

“It has been two nights since he was last seen alive. He wasn’t seen coming out of the water .... I think the community is preparing for that reality.”

Hager was with a friend at the time, and took off his shoes and hat, telling his friend he was hot and wanted to go for a swim.

He jumped from about two-thirds of the way down the bridge, but was still far from shore, Wiese said.

Some people sitting on a patio at a house nearby saw him struggling in the water and phoned police.

Pelly Crossing RCMP launched their police boat within minutes of the call coming in, said Wiese.

Local residents began searching the shoreline and the water.

Thunderstorms and poor visibility hampered the search but it resumed early on Sunday, when the weather had improved.

Wiese said there’s no evidence that Hager exited the river.

After an extensive search of the riverbanks and the shoreline, crews are now exclusively searching the waterway.

He said the bridge is about 25 metres high, and while jumping off it isn’t common, it does happen, although police caution against doing so.

“It’s as dangerous as any waterway in the Yukon,” Wiese said.

“It changes with the breakup of the water, the sandbanks, the gravel bed, the trees that are hung up under the water. And it’s cold.”

Whitehorse and Dawson City Search and Rescue, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and a large number of residents from Pelly Crossing and RCMP from neighbouring detachments are assisting with the search.

At the time he disappeared, Hager was said to be wearing tan pants and a brown jacket.

He is described as a First Nations man of slight build. He’s 5’3” tall and weighs about 133 pounds.

Pelly Crossing RCMP request that anyone using the Pelly River between Pelly Crossing and the Yukon River be aware of this incident and remain vigilant for Hager, either in the water or along the river banks. 

Anyone with further information is requested to contact the Pelly Crossing RCMP detachment at 867-537-2677.