Man rescued from Cedar River in downtown Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — Crews rescued a man spotted Saturday evening clinging to a concrete wall in the Cedar River downtown.

Shortly after 5:30 p.m., firefighters were called to the Second Avenue Bridge near May’s Island where witnesses pointed to the man in the water, authorities said.

Crews deployed rescue ropes over the sides of the bridge to initially capture him. A swift water boat crew was launched from Valor Way with firefights and police officers on board. The boat crew rescued the man, bringing him into the inflatable boat, and he was taken to an awaiting ambulance crew.

The fire department did not release the man’s name or age or say how he came to be in the river. In criminal complaints, the man was identified as 33-year-old Christian J.R. Murphy. He was taken into police custody on city charges of swimming in the river and carrying a concealed folding knife with a blade longer than three inches, both simple misdemeanors.