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Woman's Body Pulled from Waters Near La Marina

By Carolina Pichardo | July 14, 2016 5:35pm | Updated on July 15, 2016 12:53pm
 Police recovered the body of a 36-year-old woman near La Marina Wednesday evening.
Police recovered the body of a 36-year-old woman near La Marina Wednesday evening.
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Elizabeth Ritter

INWOOD — Police pulled the body of a woman out of the Hudson River near the popular restaurant and nightclub La Marina Wednesday evening, as horrified diners looked on.

The Port Authority Police Department said the woman, identified as Catherine Hughes, jumped off the George Washington Bridge at approximately 6 p.m. Wednesday and was recovered at 7:05 p.m. She was transported to the Dyckman Pier, officials said, where she was pronounced dead.

Customers at La Marina said witnessing the rescuing efforts, while eating at the popular eatery, was "surreal."

“There were a lot of jet skis so at first we thought maybe there was some sort of accident,” said local resident, Elizabeth Ritter. “Then there was the flash of a black body bag, and we figured it was probably the recovery of someone who had jumped from the bridge.”

Ritter said the rescue efforts were dignified and professional, but also very sad.

“I'm still feeling a little unsettled, so I can only imagine what it must be like for the people who do this for a living, or the Marina staff who have probably seen this more than once,” Ritter added.

The next day, the body of a 21-year-old NYU student who had been missing since Sunday was found near the George Washington Bridge. The city medical examiner will determine the cause of death.