The news comes after a second apparent suicide at the New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge on Route 202 since Thanksgiving.
After a spate of apparent suicides, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission announced today it will increase patrols on its bridges to combat suicide attempts during the holiday season, according to a news release.
The news comes after an apparent suicide Friday at the New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge on Route 202, the second apparent suicide at that bridge since Thanksgiving. State police said they are still searching for the person who jumped.
“As best as we can tell, the Commission has never experienced two apparent-suicide fatalities within such a short period of time and we certainly will attempt to do all we can to prevent any further such incidents,” Acting Executive Director Arnold J. Conoline Jr. said in a statement.
“While we train and outfit our personnel to deal with these kinds of situations, we’re going to redouble our efforts during the holiday period when stress and depression can cause individuals to take drastic and unfortunate actions,” he said in the release.
Conoline said the commission will initiate the following steps immediately and continue them through at least New Year’s Day:
- Ask state and local police to step up patrols on all commission bridges, with particular attention to the New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge and others most susceptible to jumpers.
- Increase commission patrols at all crossings, changing schedules and assignments and hiring part-timers as necessary.
- Place signs on the Bucks and Hunterdon county approaches to the New Hope-Lambertville Toll Bridge with crisis intervention service hotline phone numbers.
- Keep a closer eye on security camera footage.
- Place toll bridge officers on heightened alert for behavior that could escalate to a suicide attempt.
- Post crisis intervention hotline information on the commission website homepage.
The commission is also discussing the possibility of permanent signs or barriers, but Conoline said more time and evaluation is needed before decisions can be made, according to the release.