NEWBURGH – A man jumped off the pier into the Hudson River in the City of Newburgh Thursday morning and his body was recovered by a Newburgh City Police SCUBA diver from 20 feet of water a short time later.

The man was spotted by a passerby at 7:40 a.m. He was smoking a cigarette and was wearing a backpack. The passerby told police that out of nowhere, the man climbed over the railing of the pier and jumped into the river. The pier is only about five to seven feet above the water, but the man never surfaced.

The passerby called police and the man’s body was recovered about 20 feet from the pier in the water, his backpack was still on his back. He is believed to be a City of Newburgh resident.

The man had no identity on him other than a pill bottle in his backpack, which was filled with tools, which police said was probably used for weight purposed.