A van thief in Florida ended up in hot water after he jumped off a bridge to escape the police, as this footage shows.

The incident took place on Edison Bridge, which is located in Lee County in the south-eastern US state of Florida, and police have named the suspect as Bryan Gray, 34.

The footage shows the van being driven on the bridge at high speed while being filmed from a police helicopter.

But suddenly, it swerves violently and hits the barricade on the right side of the bridge.

The van then veers back across the road and hits the barricade on the other side of the bridge before screeching to a halt in the middle of the road.

The suspect exits the vehicle and runs towards the barricade as a police vehicle pulls up.

Just after a police officer gets out of the police car, the suspect dives headfirst off the bridge and into the river, landing with a huge splash.

The suspect eventually re-emerges and a police officer in the helicopter filming the incident can be heard saying that he can see the suspect, whose head can be seen bobbing up and down in the water under the bridge.

The suspect appears to remain close to one of the pillars supporting the bridge before a police boat arrives and he is detained.

The footage was shared online by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, who said: “On Saturday evening, North District deputies attempted a traffic stop on a stolen van traveling on Bayshore Road. The suspect, later identified as Bryan Gray (DOB 07/28/1987), sped off westbound toward U.S. 41.

“Aviation pilots arrived on scene and observed him from the air, capturing this FLIR footage from Chopper One.

“At the top of the Edison Bridge, the van abruptly swerved and crashed into a retaining barrier. Gray got out of the van, jumped over the safety barrier, and dove into the the Caloosahatchee River.

“A perimeter was established, and FMPD’s Marine Unit was deployed. Gray was pulled from the water and detained by deputies before being transported to a local hospital to receive treatment.

“While he may not have earned a gold medal for his high dive, Gray did find himself in hot water when he earned pending charges of Grand Theft Auto and Fleeing and Eluding.”

It is currently unclear who the van belongs to and whether or not it can be repaired.