A man who jumped off the Merrymeeting Bridge in Brunswick on Wednesday afternoon died in the fall, Brunswick police confirmed.

Patrol Cmdr. Marc Hagan said in a news release that police received a report at 2:59 p.m. of a man standing alone on the roof of his vehicle, which was parked on the northbound ramp of the bridge.

The bridge, which is also known as the Topsham Bypass, allows Route 1 traffic heading north in Brunswick to cross over the Androscoggin River to Topsham.

Hagan said that when Brunswick police officers arrived, the man had jumped from the top of his vehicle onto the southbound lane of Route 1.

The man, whose identity has not been released pending notification of his relatives, was pronounced dead at the scene by Brunswick rescue personnel.

Southbound traffic had to be rerouted onto the Merrymeeting Bridge, a detour that caused a slight delay, but allowed drivers to head south through Topsham. Police lifted the detour at 4:30 p.m. after clearing the scene.

Hagan said the investigation into what might have caused the man to commit suicide will continue, with more details expected to be released when they are available.

Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:

dhoey@pressherald.


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