Investigators are still trying to determine how a 35-year-old Halifax-area man fell to his death along the Halifax Waterfront.

Police were called to Halifax Harbour, near the 1400 block of Lower Water Street, shortly after 4 p.m. Wednesday.

They say citizens managed to pull the man out of the water and into a boat.

“I ran over and I jumped in and there was someone else in the water with the man but from the looks of him, it didn’t look like he was responding,” says witness Eric Richards.

The man was taken to the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre where he was pronounced dead.

Police say it appears the man was sitting on the side of a boardwalk near Lower Water Street when he fell into the water.

Investigators hope surveillance video and autopsy results will help explain what happened.

“Although we have no evidence of that, but it could be someone was pushed, someone that was tripped, someone who suffered a medical emergency and caused them to fall into the harbour,” says Halifax Regional Police Const. Pierre Bourdages.

“There are numerous things we have to look at.”

Police say the medical examiner is working to determine what caused the man’s death and perhaps what caused him to fall into the water.

Once investigators have that information, they will determine whether criminal charges are warranted in the case. If they determine the case doesn’t warrant criminal charges, the file will be closed and the man’s death ruled an accident.

Drowning incidents are rare but not unheard of along the Halifax Waterfront. Another man died after falling into the harbour three years ago.

Jennifer Angel helps manage the waterfront. She wants to reassure people they are safe.

“We have 24-hour security, we have an enhanced lighting program, we have a very rigorous maintenance and we have staff who are committed to a high standard of safety and cleanliness on the boardwalk,” says Angel.

She says the Halifax Waterfront Development Corporation is also working toward installing more surveillance cameras.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Kelland Sundahl