A Califorinia man arrested after he jumped off the Washington Bridge and into the Providence River while trying to flee from East Providence Police earlier this week has made an initial appearance before a Federal Magistrate Judge on a charge of possession of firearms by a convicted felon, according to U-S Attorneys in Providence. 

 

The East Providence Police SIU found that firearms were being advertised for sale on Facebook, which lead to surveillance of a residence there, where Jospeh Darosa placed a suitcase in the trunk of a vehicle that was found to have 14 handguns inside. 

 

The Driver was working for Lyft and had no knowledge of what was happening. 

 

28-year-old Joseph Darosa was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped on 195 for a tinted window violation. 

 

Darosa survived a jump off the Washington Bridge into the Providence River; he was located about an hour later .

 

Darosa has a conviction in California for distribution of meth and was sentenced to 60 months behind bars in May 2016. 

 

He was serving a term of federal supervised release.