50-year-old Dartmouth man dies after jumping from Mount Hope Bridge

PORTSMOUTH — Emergency personnel responded to witness reports of a man who jumped from the Mount Hope Bridge shortly before noon on Sunday.

The 50-year-old Dartmouth man was transported to Rhode Island Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, Portsmouth Detective Lt. Michael Arnold said on Monday. The Portsmouth Police Department will not release the name of the man, Arnold said, citing the sensitivity of the case.

“We responded to the top of the Mount Hope Bridge” about 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, Arnold said. The Coast Guard dispatched a boat, but the Bristol harbormaster recovered the man, Petty Officer Michael Gillian with Sector Southeastern New England of the United States Coast Guard said on Sunday.

The Bristol Police Department and Bristol Fire Department also responded, Arnold said.

The Portsmouth Fire Department dispatched one engine, two rescue vehicles and a marine boat to the scene, according to a fire dispatcher Sunday.

Arnold did not know where the man was recovered in the water; he said the man jumped from the center span of the bridge.

The Rhode Island Medical Examiners are investigating the case, Arnold added.

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