The recovery of a black jacket with distinctive red stripes from the East River near the Manhattan Bridge has cast a heavy shadow over the ongoing search for 15-year-old Thomas Medlin. Suffolk County police confirmed on February 6, 2026, that the garment matches the description provided by the teenager’s family and was located during intensified underwater operations below the bridge’s pedestrian walkway. The discovery marks the first physical evidence recovered since Thomas vanished on January 9, shifting the tone of the investigation from cautious hope to guarded sorrow.

Thomas left Stony Brook School in St. James, Long Island, that Friday afternoon. He took the Long Island Rail Road into Manhattan, arriving at Grand Central Terminal shortly after 5:30 p.m. He was last definitively seen on surveillance video walking onto the Manhattan Bridge’s pedestrian path at 7:06 p.m. His cellphone pinged for the final time at 7:09 p.m. At 7:10 p.m., a nearby traffic camera captured a distinct splash in the water below the bridge’s center span. No footage shows Thomas leaving the bridge on foot through either end. The timeline is brutally narrow: three minutes from last phone activity to the moment something entered the river.

The jacket was found tangled in submerged debris approximately 200 yards downstream from the approximate splash location. Water temperature that night hovered around 38°F (3°C), and the East River’s powerful tidal currents can reach four knots. Survival time in those conditions for an unprepared teenager is measured in minutes rather than hours. The garment showed no obvious signs of violent removal—no tears consistent with a struggle—but the fabric was heavily waterlogged and beginning to degrade, suggesting it had been submerged for several weeks.

Investigators have not ruled out any scenario. Thomas had no known history of suicidal ideation, according to family and school officials. He was described as quiet, kind, and deeply involved in online gaming communities, particularly Roblox. Early speculation that he traveled to meet someone he met through gaming was quickly dismissed after detectives examined his accounts, chat logs, and device history. No suspicious contacts or grooming indicators were found. Police have stressed that the absence of foul play evidence does not mean it has been excluded; they continue to canvass for witnesses who may have seen him on the bridge or in the surrounding areas of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

The Manhattan Bridge, opened in 1909, spans roughly 6,855 feet between the two boroughs. Its pedestrian walkway, elevated above six lanes of traffic and two subway tracks, offers long stretches of relative isolation, especially in winter after dark. At mid-span, the walkway sits about 135 feet above the water. A fall from that height into cold, fast-moving water would be catastrophic even without additional factors. Historical data from the New York City medical examiner shows that most bridge-related incidents in the East River involve intentional jumps, with very few accidental falls. Recovery rates remain low due to the river’s depth (up to 70 feet in places), strong tidal flows, and heavy commercial shipping that can disturb remains or items.

Thomas’s family has remained publicly composed while privately devastated. His mother released a brief statement through police: “We are grateful for every person who has helped search, shared his picture, or said a prayer. Tommy was gentle and loved by so many. We just want to bring him home.” A GoFundMe to support private dive teams and awareness efforts surpassed $85,000 within days of the jacket’s recovery. Classmates at Stony Brook School organized a candlelight vigil on campus, where hundreds gathered to share memories and release lanterns over a nearby pond in symbolic tribute.

The bridge’s surveillance system, operated by the New York City Department of Transportation, provided critical timeline evidence but no conclusive final image. The camera angle that captured the splash is fixed and distant; it shows only a brief disturbance on the water’s surface—no clear view of what caused it. Detectives have reviewed additional footage from nearby buildings, FDR Drive, and Brooklyn Bridge Park, but no second sighting of Thomas has emerged after 7:06 p.m.

Community response has been overwhelming. True-crime forums, local Facebook groups, and TikTok creators have kept Thomas’s photo circulating, with hashtags #FindThomasMedlin and #ManhattanBridge generating millions of views. Mental health organizations have partnered with the family to raise awareness about adolescent depression and the warning signs that can be easy to miss in teenagers who appear outwardly content. Counselors have been made available at Stony Brook School and other nearby districts.

As search operations continue, attention has turned to prevention. City officials are quietly reviewing safety measures on the Manhattan Bridge pedestrian path, including increased lighting, more frequent patrols during evening hours, and the feasibility of higher barriers in high-risk zones. Similar discussions followed previous incidents, but implementation has often been slow.

For now, the jacket remains the most tangible link to Thomas’s final moments. It sits in evidence storage, carefully preserved, waiting to tell investigators—if it can—what happened after the splash. The East River has claimed many secrets over the decades; whether it will surrender this one remains uncertain. The Medlin family, supported by a grieving community, continues to hope for answers while preparing for the possibility that the river may keep its silence.

The search goes on—on the water, along the shoreline, and in the hearts of everyone who refuses to let a 15-year-old boy disappear without a trace.