Jeff Jones: Man says he got lucky and didn't end up dead after surviving 'Rainey Street ripper' in Austin

MASSACHUSETTS, BOSTON: Jeff Jones, a 38-year-old man from Boston, believes he survived a rumored serial killer and narrowly avoided death. Jones said he was drugged and shoved off a bridge while on a bachelor party trip in Austin on June 23 of the previous year.

Jones woke up in a hospital more than two weeks later with metal rods holding his back together and traces of the date-rape drug GHB in his system. He suspects he was targeted by the rumored ‘Rainey Street Ripper.'

Jeff Jones says he was saved as he hit shallow waters

Jones who, as per his Facebook profile, is a strategic account manager at Viant Medical recalled the harrowing incident. “Whoever they may be just missed the target and I hit the ground, and luckily because of that I didn’t drown,” he told Daily Mail.

“I just got lucky… Not many people can say they potentially survived a serial killer, so that’s a story I can tell, I guess," he added. 

Despite police assurances that no killer is on the loose, rumors of a 'Rainey Street Ripper' persist as bodies accumulate in the Colorado River and Lady Bird Lake by the well-known bar district.

Reports suggest that 12 bodies have been found in Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River since 2022.

In the past month, two more bodies have been discovered, neither of which has been identified; however, similar to all but one of the previous cases, the police have determined there is nothing suspicious.

Jeff Jones was found motionless after plummeting 25 feet under the bottom of the historic West Sixth Street Bridge

Jones, who has studied at Union College in New York, and his friends dined at the Iron Cactus before heading to Rustic Tap and Play, both located on West 6th Street.

He was separated from his friends at around 1 am with no recollection of events before that time. His friends last made contact with him around 1.30 am after which he stopped texting and his phone too was dead.

Soon after, an anonymous individual placed a 911 call around 4 am upon discovering him motionless at the base of the historic West Sixth Street Bridge. Jones has exclusively detailed his experiences on his Facebook about the incident.

Jones arrived at Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas at about 4.45 am and underwent emergency surgery on his damaged kidneys, liver, and lung, and his spleen was removed.

He sustained fractures in seven thoracic vertebrae in addition to his shoulder, elbow, and two ribs.

Jones remained in the hospital for 17 days and had no memory from the time spent with his friend to the moment he awoke from the second of two induced comas, two weeks later.

Jeff Jones says 'it was just too terrifying' coming so close to death 

Jones remains unaware of the events that transpired during the three hours from his disappearance to when he was found beneath the bridge.

Having landed within five feet of the water, it is probable that, due to the effects of GHB, he suspects he would have drowned had he been submerged in the stream.

Urine tests indicated a positive result for Benzodiazepines, a family of sedatives that includes drugs like GHB also called a date rape drug. 

“I’ve thought about it a lot,” he said. “I couldn’t even talk about it for the first couple of months, it was just too terrifying how close I came to being gone," he told the outlet.

Jeff Jones believes someone must have pushed him from the bridge

He believes it was not possible to flip over and fall from the bridge. "But if someone was standing next to me, they could definitely have shoved me and flipped me over it," Jones said

Jones continues to take painkillers but has resumed running and other physical activities he enjoyed before he fell from the bridge.

"I would have been incapacitated enough to not get myself out of the water," he said due to the presence of the drug in his body.

"If they wanted to get away with something without being seen, this would be a way to do it… it's a good way to have no trace of what happened," he impressed. 

The rods in his back are scheduled for removal over the summer and he bears extensive scarring on his upper body.

The enduring impact is from a branch that pierced his left elbow during the fall. Despite undergoing surgeries to enhance his range of motion, he can only extend it to 75 percent of the normal capacity and might not regain full mobility.

The mystery of serial killer should be taken seriously, says Jeff Jones

Jones mentioned that the rumors of a serial killer and the frequent discovery of bodies in the waterway were important issues for Austin that needed to be addressed.

He said that the police must address these concerns more earnestly to prevent deterring tourists, such as those attending bachelor parties.

“If people keep disappearing I feel like it’s not going to be a destination for much longer,” he said.

The first of the most recent bodies was found under South 1st Street Bridge on April 9 and was described as a ‘cardiac-arrest’ style event. However, police continue to probe the death.