Qld teen's river escape plan fails

A Brisbane teenager already exhausted from a foot chase with police has survived a flawed plot to swim to freedom.

The 15-year-old jumped into the Brisbane River near the William Jolly Bridge in the CBD late on Monday night, while trying to get away from officers who were chasing him over a fight.

He swam into the middle of the river but struggled with exhaustion and officers were able to convince him to return to shore.

"He was out of breath. By the time he entered the river, he was certainly struggling there for quite some time," a police spokesman told ABC radio.

"It was a good result that police were able to convince him to come back to shore."

The incident happened near the same bridge a British tourist leapt from during an apparent prank on Sunday night.

A search will resume for the Briton on Tuesday, after Monday's efforts failed to find any trace of him.