Boston man tried to throw wheelchair-bound wife into water near harbor, officials say

A Boston man allegedly told police his wife was an “imposter” after a witness reported he attempted to throw her into the water near Boston Harbor, authorities said.

Jonathan Pinney, 38, was arrested Wednesday afternoon after the witness told police he saw Pinney lift his wife from her wheelchair and try to throw her over a railing into the Fort Point Channel below, which feeds into the harbor, a spokesperson for the Suffolk Country District Attorney’s Office said.

Police said Pinney’s wife confirmed the witness account. She was brought to Tufts Medical Center for treatment.

The incident occurred near the intersection of Summer and Melcher streets in the Seaport District, officials said.

After police tracked Pinney down nearby and placed him under arrest, he told officers he believed his wife was an “imposter” and he was trying to “dump her” into the water, the district attorney’s office said.

Pinney appeared Thursday in Boston Municipal Court in South Boston on charges of assault and battery on a family member and assault and battery on a disabled person, the district attorney’s office said.

“Considering the air and water temperatures Wednesday, along with the victim’s disability, we would likely be looking at a far more tragic scenario had this man been successful in his stated intent,” District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in a statement.

Pinney was ordered by Judge Paul Treseler to undergo a 20-day clinical evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital. He will return to court on April 4.

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