A Sayre man is facing several charges after an incident that police say involved the misuse of emergency services.
According to the Athens Borough Police Department, 37-year-old Neil J. Riley has been charged with obstructing administration of law or other governmental functions, flight to avoid apprehension and obstructing emergency services.
The charges stem from an incident on Tuesday afternoon in Athens Borough. A police officer was notified about a person, later identified as Riley, who had jumped off the Route 199 bridge into the Chemung River with the intention of harming himself.
According to police, Riley texted someone after the fact telling them he made it to shore but was “going to die there.”
Firefighters from Athens Borough and Athens Township, officers from Athens Township, the Bradford County Drone Team, Greater Valley EMS, the Greater Valley Dive Team, and Bradford County Emergency Management Agency all responded to the scene.
Riley was the subject of a mental health call that Bradford County Mental Health and Athens Borough Police received earlier that day.
First responders called off the search just after 5 pm as police believed Riley had fabricated the whole incident and was never in the river.
Police later located Riley inside an apartment in Athens Borough and placed under arrest.
