The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office water patrol searched the Mississippi River on Tuesday night after witnesses reported seeing a man jump off the Interstate 35W bridge.

Emergency workers used sonar to search the river downstream from the bridge. The search team was still on the water at 9:30 p.m.

Witnesses reported seeing the man climb over the rail about 6 p.m. -- a time of day when a steady stream of commuters is crossing the bridge, rebuilt after collapsing in 2007. Minneapolis fire and police, the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office and the State Patrol assisted in the search.

MARY LYNN SMITH