TOPSHAM

The report of a suicidal male near the Frank J. Wood Bridge turned into a river pursuit for emergency services personnel early Sunday morning.

According to Topsham Police Sgt. Robert Ramsay, police got a report at 1:30 a.m. of a man threatening suicide on the rocks next to the river near Sea Dog Brewing Company. The man had been at an event and someone from the gathering called for help.

When Officer Donald Cowles approached the 47-year-old Topsham man, the man entered the river and began swimming upstream toward the dam, Ramsay said. Cowles then lost sight of him.

Officer Lucas Shirland and Ramsay responded, and Brunswick and Topsham firefighters launched two boats in the river. Firefighters also lit up the area of the Androscoggin River near the dam.

After police and firefighters searched the rocky area in front of the dam, the man was eventually located trying to conceal himself in the rocks, Ramsay said.

“The male was combative so he was secured in handcuffs by officer Cowles with assistance from a (Sagadahoc County Sheriff ’s) deputy,” Ramsay wrote in an email to The Times Record.

The man would allegedly not walk, so rescue crews strapped him to a rescue basket and navigated over approximately 75 yards of wet jagged rocks to reach the boat. The man was taken by boat to the Water Street boat landing in Brunswick and transported to Mid Coast Hospital.

Ramsay estimated it took about 90 minutes to find and then carry the man to safety. He said the Sagadahoc County District Attorney’s office will review the incident for any potential criminal charges.

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