Update 8:15 p.m. Rescue crews responded to both sides of the Ship Canal this evening after a report of two men who jumped from the Ballard Bridge. After an hour-long search, rescuers were unable to locate anyone.

“I noticed on my drive home today around 6:30 p.m. two shirtless men, one with grey shaggy hair and a beard jump from the Ballard Bridge,” a My Ballard reader emailed us shortly after the 911 dispatch. “The men looked relatively calm and I believe one of them was smiling as the jumped out from the bridge. They had climbed over the railing and just kinda let go.”

Police and fire boats were called in, and divers were sent into the water to look for the men. Firefighters said they were receiving conflicting information from witnesses about where the men jumped.

An hour after the search began and night began to fall, rescue crews began packing up to leave. Seattle Police told us on the scene that the men may have jumped from the bridge onto the stairwell. A firefighter said another theory was the men jumped and were picked up by a waiting boat.

Southbound traffic on the Ballard Bridge was a mess during the rescue, as fire and police vehicles blocked the west lane. All lanes are open now. (Thanks Adriana for the picture.)