Search suspended for intoxicated man who may have fallen off Blossom Street Bridge bridge into Congaree River, officials say.

Officials spent the early morning hours Friday searching the Congaree River near the Blossom Street Bridge for a man they believe fell off, according to a S.C. Law Enforcement Division spokesman.

The search was suspended after authorities spent much of the morning searching without success, the Cayce Department of Public Safety confirmed.

A University of South Carolina police officer was on the bridge before 1 a.m. when he spotted an intoxicated man crossing the bridge, WACH Fox reported.

When the officer turned around to look for the man, he was gone, Cayce police told WACH.

Two boats were deployed to begin the search on the Congaree, and a SLED helicopter took to the skies, WIS reported. The helicopter searched for a few hours, SLED spokesman Thom Berry said.

Officials told WIS the search would continue Saturday morning. The helicopter will not be part of the morning search unless it is requested, Berry said.

This story was originally published June 15, 2018 at 7:13 AM with the headline "Search suspended for intoxicated man who may have fallen off Blossom Street Bridge bridge into Congaree River, officials say.."