Traffic was backed up in both directions along I-95 Thursday morning as police talked down a New Hampshire man who had threatened to jump from the Piscataqua River Bridge.
The unidentified man was experiencing a mental health crisis, Maine State Police said. Troopers were called to the northbound lanes about 6:30 a.m. when someone reported that the man had jumped over Jersey barriers and onto a catwalk below the bridge deck, nearly falling more than 100 feet to the water below.
The state police crisis negotiation team responded and talked to the man for more than two hours. Police initially shut down only the northbound lanes, but the passing traffic moving south made it difficult for the man and the negotiators to hear each other.
By 10:30 a.m., the man had agreed to leave the bridge with police, and he was taken to a hospital for evaluation and treatment, state police said. No charges were filed and the man’s name will not be released, police said.
The traffic backup extended for about six miles into both states, police said.
“We understand that the public was inconvenienced but we would like to thank them for their patience, which helped contribute to a successful outcome,” said state police spokesperson Shannon Moss.
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