Editor's note: This story contains mention of suicide.
A man died by suicide after he jumped from the Millhopper Road bridge into oncoming northbound traffic on I-75 Thursday, according to law enforcement. He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash due to vehicle impact.
Police have not identified the man or his age as of Thursday evening, Alachua County Sheriff's Office Spokesperson Sgt. Frank Kinsey said. No other people were injured.
At 3:35 p.m. the 911 communication center operator — which serves local police, firefighters and ACSO — received a call about a disturbed and upset person on the bridge, Kinsey said. The center received several calls after, and an ACSO officer was sent to the scene before the man jumped.
Kinsey said the first ASCO officer saw the man standing atop the bridge and tried to talk to him, but he jumped and landed on I-75.
All northbound I-75 traffic lanes were closed from about 4 p.m. until 7:40 p.m. while officials investigated the scene, Kinsey said. Traffic was directed to 39th Avenue to get the cars off the interstate.
Florida Highway Patrol has not released information about the number of cars involved and no other information about the incident is known at this time, Kinsey said.
If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call the 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
This is a developing story, please stay tuned for updates.
Contact Michelle Holder at mholder@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @michellecholder.
Michelle Holder is a second-year journalism student at UF minoring in entrepreneurship and a Metro reporter at The Alligator. She is from Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. In her free time she enjoys going to coffee shops and reading.
