Man dies after jumping into the water near the Titanic memorial in Washington DC

Authorities said the man was acting ‘erratically’ and ran to the edge of the water when they tried to help him

An image of the incident released by the DC fire service (DC Fire and EMS)

A man has died after jumping into the water near the Titanic memorial in Washington DC on Monday, officials said.

The DC Fire and Emergency Medical Service said paramedics had responded at about 6.15pm local time to reports of a man under the influence. According to reports, they found him acting “erratically” when they arrived.

A spokesperson said the man then ran to the edge of the Washington Channel and jumped in. Fire boats and harbour units were launched to retrieve him, and he was pulled from the harbour but later died in hospital.

“Water rescue [at the] 300 block of South West Maine Avenue,” the service tweeted on Monday evening. “Adult male went under water vicinity of Titanic Memorial.

“DC’s Bravest and the DC Police Harbor Unit have located the victim, who is being transported to the Fire/Police pier in critical life threatening condition.”

The service did not provide the man’s name or an account of how he died.

DC’s Titanic memorial was erected in 1931 in honour of the men who died on the doomed ocean liner when it sank in 1912. Since the ship did not carry enough life boats for everyone on board, its crew prioritised women and children during the evacuation.