Dad Jumps Off Highway Bridge While Holding Two Kids After Fight With Wife

With his two young children, a New Jersey man jumped off a highway bridge and descended to a seemingly instant death.

His kids, however, aged just 1 and 3 years old, survived the ordeal with injuries that are not life-threatening.

The incident made headlines news across many networks, including this FOX affiliate in the video below:

At the time, it was unclear what might have prompted the father into the murder-suicide attempt. Since, however, more information has emerged, make the picture a little clearer.

According to CBS New York's Tony Aiello, the fatal jump happened on Monday night at around 8 pm, following an apparent domestic dispute in Pequannock, NJ. Police were called to a residence in the small North Jersey town shortly before 7 pm, CBS reports, with a woman claiming, during an argument, her husband threatened to harm their children. The woman reportedly claims the father then took the two boys, entered a white SUV and left the home.

About one hour later, police tracked the man down using the GPS signal on his cell phone, CBS reports. That signal led them to a southbound stretch of the Interstate 287 highway that crosses through Wanaque Township.

The white SUV was there, but the man and his two kids weren't. The disappearance resulted in a scene that saw multiple first responders crowd a lane on I-287.

In a video posted on Twitter, ABC's Josh Einiger captured the images.

According to NJ.com, the fall was roughly 100 feet. The father was pronounced dead at the scene. The two boys, on the other hand, were taken to St. Joseph's Hospital in Wayne, NJ.

It is unclear whether the father threw his young sons over the fence of the overpass or they jumped all at once, ABC News 7 noted. What is clear, however, is the kids are safe after an incident that could very well have ended in their deaths.

Citations: NBC 4 New York, CBS New York, NJ.com