Jimmy Jennings left a car in gridlocked traffic Friday morning to leap into the Atchafalaya River from the Interstate 10 Basin bridge, and video of the shocking dive has gone viral.
Jennings was rescued and arrested after treading water for about three hours.
Khory Vaughan captured the incident on video and spoke with WBRZ-TV in Baton Rouge.
"We are familiar with the water [and the area], but I don't think he was prepared for what came with it," Vaughan said. "He treaded water for about three hours and started to lose all strength."
Jennings called his jump from the bridge a bad decision in a Facebook post, and reported that he was sore, thanking rescuers for saving his life.