As friends and family keep Daniel Friedman in their thoughts, the search resumed Thursday for the former town official and college professor who is presumed to have jumped off the Bear Mountain Bridge in late December.
Rockland Sheriff’s Office marine unit officers took advantage of Thursday’s warmer weather to search the murky Hudson River’s waters, Chief William Barbera said.
Barbera said the officers plan to keep searching the area this week and next, and state police divers also could go back into the water.
The colder the water, the less likely it is that a body will surface, he said.
“We have a small window of opportunity here until the river ices up,” Barbera said. “We’re taking advantage of the warm weather at the moment.”
The temperature jumped to 55 degrees on Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
Temperatures will dip to a high of 38 degrees on Friday, Sunday and Monday, before rising to about 43 degrees on Tuesday and near 50 on Wednesday.
The bridge’s surveillance camera captured video images a person walking across the bridge on Dec. 30 and jumping from the north side railing near mid-span, state police said.
A car registered to Friedman was parked on the shoulder of Route 9D on the Westchester County side of the bridge.
An initial search was done by marine units from Rockland and Westchester counties, along with state police aviation but was unsuccessful.
State police have also spoken with Friedman’s family and have not been able to account for his whereabouts.
