PHILADELPHIA — A woman called a hospital this morning and told a drug counselor she had thrown her newborn and two young children off a bridge because she could not feed them, setting off a search of the Delaware River.

Authorities were trying to locate the woman, Michelle Perez of Camden, N.J., and the Coast Guard said it was taking her report seriously but had no way of knowing if it was legitimate.

The helicopter and boat search began shortly after authorities got a call around 4 a.m. from a nurse at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia.

A woman had called the hospital and said she was in Camden, N.J., had just given birth and had thrown her newborn baby into the river from the Ben Franklin Bridge, the Coast Guard said.

The woman called back and told another nurse she had also thrown her 4-year-old and 2-year-old children off the bridge because she couldn't feed them, Coast Guard Petty Officer Michael Blake said.

Police in Camden were unable to find Perez.

The Delaware River Port Authority, which owns and operates the suspension bridge, said its security cameras didn't capture any images of a woman throwing anything off the span. It also noted that the bridge's pedestrian walkways are locked at night.