The 37-year-old was treated on scene by HUMC EMS personnel and told first responders he jumped in preparation for a polar bear challenge, police said.
Hackensack police officers Jason Sawyer, Michael Koenig and Nart Marza located the struggling man in the river as the current dragged him further down the river, according to police.
They instructed him to swim to shore, when he gan to go beneath the surface of the water. The officers then began removing all of their excess police equipment in preparation to go into the water after the man.
After some time, the man was brought to shore by the officers, police said.
The man was subsequently treated by Hackensack University Medical Center’s EMS personnel and transported before being transported to Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus for a psychiatric evaluation.
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ALSO SEE: A pickup truck climbed a utility pole anchor in Hackensack on Wednesday, leaving the front end of the vehicle suspended, after the Fairview driver misjudged a turn, police told Daily Voice.
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