Pittsburgh Man Jumps Into River After Stealing $30K Harp

On Wednesday afternoon at Point State Park, a man abandoned a stolen $30,000 harp on the riverbank then leaped into the icy Pittsburgh waters.\

A Frantic Rescue Effort

Emergency crews, including River Rescue and police, rushed to the park at 3:30 p.m. following reports of a person in the river. Witness Dakoda Perry spotted the man struggling and attempted to help with a stick.

"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.'"

First responders successfully pulled the man to safety. He was transported to UPMC Mercy in stable condition. Perry noted the man's physical state: "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. But, yeah, he was beet red from being in the water that long."

Tracing the Instrument

The mystery of the full-sized harp was solved when investigators used its serial number to contact the manufacturer. This led authorities to the rightful owner in Bethel Park.

Legal Consequences Follow

Police confirmed the instrument had been stolen during a home burglary. While the man’s identity has not been released, he faces charges for receiving stolen property, and a separate burglary investigation is underway.

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