COVINGTON, Ky. — The Covington City Commission honored two Covington police officers, Specialists Josh Denny and Chris Haubner, and Covington Fire Captain Kyle Simpson for bravery Tuesday night in retrieving a home invasion suspect who fled police before getting stuck in the metal beams of the Brent Spence Bridge in early January.
The man in question was Joshua Baker, who had been traveling northward on I-75 on Jan. 27 when police received a report of his car. According to police records, Baker had robbed a house with a rifle a few days prior. Upon finding the car, police attempted to stop him, but he fled. The police pursued him onto the Brent Spence, where Baker lost control and left his vehicle. After unsuccessfully attempting to steal someone else’s car, Wietholter said, “he made the decision to jump from the west side of the bridge and landed on metal beams, stopping him from falling into the river below.”
Over the next four hours or so, several agencies from multiple cities attempted to find Baker hiding in the metal skeleton of the bridge, using boats, drones and thermal cameras. Finally, the public safety officers found Baker on the underside of the bridge.
WATCH: Video of Baker running from police and hiding in the bridge's support beams
Simpson, Denny and Haubner all volunteered to retrieve Baker, who had now been clinging to the bridge beams high above the river in the bitter cold for nearly four hours. To make matters more dangerous, the men had been informed that Baker was likely still armed.
“They navigated the darkness for approximately 45 minutes before locating the suspect clinging to the metal framework,” Wietholter said. “Due to the suspect’s prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures, he was not able to move himself from the position he was in. This required Officers Haubner and Denny to work together with Captain Simpson to secure the suspect and lift him to the catwalk.”
Baker was transported to the hospital and eventually charged with fleeing police, carjacking and nearly 20 counts of wanton endangerment, among other charges. He had four outstanding warrants at the time of his arrest. He was arraigned on some charges in early February and indicted on the remaining charges on March 6.
“Their efforts brought an offender to account, protecting the citizens of Covington from further harm and ultimately saving the suspect when he placed himself in a very dangerous situation that required his own rescue,” Wietholter said.
Denny declined to comment but Haubner said, “I appreciate all the support from all the local agencies, the fire department and Cincinnati and just our support from our department.”
Simpson admitted that the experience was “a little nerve-wracking, but it’s something we trained for. It’s nice to be able to put your training to use and help somebody out.”
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