Police save suicidal woman from jumping off I-95 bridge

The Piscataqua River Bridge (Courtesy photo)

PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - State Police from New Hampshire and Maine spent a nerve-wracking hour early today trying to talk a despondent woman out of jumping off the Piscataqua River Bridge that connects Portsmouth, N.H., and Kittery, Maine.

The incident began around 12:30 a.m. as New Hampshire State Police received a third-party call reporting a suicidal individual in the area of the Piscataqua River Bridge in Portsmouth. The caller reported the female subject was in a black-colored minivan and was last seen on Route 95 in Maine, headed toward the bridge.

A short time later, as troopers from New Hampshire and Maine as well as Portsmouth Police canvassed the area, New Hampshire State Trooper Brian Gacek observed the vehicle in the breakdown lane on the northbound side of the bridge.
As Gacek approached, the female driver drove her vehicle a short distance, fled from the driver side and leapt over the railing, threatening to jump. Over the next 50 minutes, members of the New Hampshire State Police Troop-A as well as the State Police Crisis Negotiations Unit negotiated with the female in attempt to get her to step back over the railing.

The Portsmouth Police and Maine State Police were able to detour traffic in the area for the safety of all those involved.

Once it became clear negotiations were failing and the female individual made credible threats that she was going to jump, troopers made the decision to attempt and grab onto her. A struggle ensued, however the troopers were able to gain control and remove the female to safety. She was treated at the scene and then transported to the Portsmouth Hospital by the Portsmouth Fire Department for a mental health evaluation and treatment of minor injuries.

Northbound traffic was stopped on Route 95 for a period of 40 minutes while the incident was ongoing. The State Police were assisted at the scene by the Maine State Police, the Portsmouth Police Department, the Portsmouth Fire Department, the United States Coast Guard and the Eliot, Maine Police Department.

The bridge has been the scene of many suicides and attempted suicides over the years.