fter hitting several cars, a hit-and-run driver under the influence of cocaine plunged into the Yahara River last Friday, Madison Police said Monday.
The 40-year-old suspect, Gregory S. Ostern, hit four cars near Williamson Street and East Washington Avenue.
According to Madison Police Department spokesperson Joel DeSpain, witnesses reported Ostern yelling, “I can’t believe I did this! This is crazy!”
Ostern was running across an East Washington Avenue bridge over the Yahara River when he realized police were chasing him.
Although police tried to convince him otherwise, Ostern jumped into the Yahara River, according to DeSpain.
After Ostern refused MPD paramedics’ assistance, Madison Fire Department rescue divers pulled the suspect to shore.
One hit-and-run victim, a pregnant woman, went to the hospital as a precaution, but no one was seriously injured, police said.
