Man brings stolen $30K harp to Point State Park before jumping into river, police say
A man brought a stolen harp worth $30,000 to Point State Park and left it on the riverbank before jumping into the icy water on Wednesday afternoon, Pittsburgh Public Safety said.
According to a spokesperson for Pittsburgh Public Safety, police contacted the harp's manufacturer using a serial number. That's how they traced the expensive instrument back to its owner in Bethel Park.
The investigation began on 3:30 p.m. Wednesday when multiple agencies, including police, River Rescue and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, responded to reports of a man in the water at Point State Park.
Dakoda Perry said he saw the man floating in the frigid water, so he called police, grabbed a stick and tried to pull him out.
"He was yelling out things like, 'thank God, save me, God,' and so on and so forth," Perry said. "And we were trying to talk to him, we were like, 'hey, come to the edge, come here, we got you, man,' trying to be encouraging, trying to just get him to at least come to the edge, so this way if he does start to go under, we don't have to swim out and try to get him."
First responders were able to bring the man to shore, and after he was given medical care, he was taken to UPMC Mercy in stable condition, Public Safety said.
"When we did pull him out of the water, he was kind of — not kicking around, flailing — but he was just kicking his legs continuously," Perry said. "But, yeah, he was beet red from being in the water that long."
Police said their investigation revealed that the man, whose identity hasn't been released, brought the full-sized harp, which is valued at about $30,000, to the riverbank before disrobing and jumping in.
In an update, police said they found the harp's owner and learned it was stolen from a home in Bethel Park. Bethel Park police are handling the burglary investigation while park rangers are pursuing charges of receiving stolen property, Public Safety said.