Father throws 5-year-old daughter off bridge; John Jonchuck Jr. charged with first-degree murder

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A father that threw his 5-year-old daughter off of a bridge early Thursday morning was arrested and charged with first-degree murder, according to reports. John Nicholas Jonchuck Jr., 25, was speeding on a bridge over Tampa Bay when he stopped, grabbed his daughter Phoebe out of the car, and threw her to her death.

Jonchuck Jr. had been speeding at about 100 mph on the approach to the Sunshine Skyway when the incident occurred. An off-duty St. Petersburg police officer began following the man's PT Cruiser to stop him from speeding when he pulled over on the bridge, threw his daughter over the rail, and then drove off at a normal speed, authorities said.

"You just throw this baby away like it's nothing," St. Petersburg police chief Anthony Holloway told reporters at a press conference.

The officer stopped to search for the child, and a rescue team from Eckerd College located Phoebe and pulled her from the water an hour and 40 minutes later. She died at 2:44 a.m. at a local hospital, according to the Associated Press.

About 30 minutes after the incident, Jonchuck Jr. was stopped and arrested by Manatee County officers. He was booked in the Pinellas County jail and questioned. Jonchuck charged with first-degree murder, aggravated fleeing and eluding and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle on a law enforcement officer.

"We have no idea why anybody would do something like this," said St. Petersburg police officer Yolanda Fernandez. 

Holloway said Jonchuck lived with his parents in Tampa and had custody of the child.