Police investigate bizarre bridge incident

FHP: Man jumped after crash, presumed dead in water; search suspended

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The investigation into a bizarre incident Tuesday night on the Mathews Bridge continues.

Police called off the search Wednesday morning for a man they said jumped into the water after crashing the SUV he was driving into another car.

News of the incident stirred up frightening memories for some Jacksonville drivers.

Investigators with the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said a helicopter has been requested to resume the search, which was suspended about 5:15 a.m. after seven hours. But they said they don't know when that will take place.

According to the incident report, the victim, who is presumed dead by police, is a black man, 30-40 years old, and police are looking at the incident as a possible suicide.

According to the FHP report, two SUVs -- a Ford Explorer and a Chevy Captiva -- were heading westbound, just before 10 p.m. Tuesday when the driver of the Explorer switched lanes and for unknown reasons, lost control of his SUV.

The Explorer struck the center median barrier, then struck the wall of the bridge and spun out.

That SUV, then rear-ended the Captiva, driven by 54-year-old Roberta Bruhn from South Dakota. Bruhn had four other passengers in the vehicle at the time of the crash -- all from out of state.

The driver of the Explorer then got out of his car and jumped off the bridge.

FHP said Wednesday morning that the SUV the man was driving wasn't registered to him.

News4Jax went to the registered car owner's home for comment. But no one came to the door.

Police said they have an idea of who the man is but they haven't released a name.

According to FHP, the damage to the other SUV was minimal and no one else was injured. News4Jax attempted to contact the people in the other SUV, but we have not heard back yet.

Thousands drive over the Mathews Bridge every day, and many of those drivers have concerns because of the way it is built, but they never imagined something like this would happen. 

Gerall Smalls drives over the Mathews Bridge almost on a daily basis. He has seen a number of accidents over the years -- and has even had a few scary moments himself.

"My car broke down on the other side at the football stadium. I had to walk across the bridge. It was one of the scariest things in my life," Smalls said.

Ann Hall said she feels the same way about crossing the bridge, especially when she thinks about the way some drivers don't obey the law.

"Weaving in an out, changing lanes without using a signal. That's the main thing with the Mathews Bridge," Hall said. "On a scale of one to 10, it's a 10."

Smalls said he's concerned for the witnesses who saw the man jump off the bridge Tuesday.

"That's going to be scars on their life for the rest of their lives, those people that were in that other car," Smalls said. "They're going to think about that for the rest of their life. Not to mention the family members of the man who jumped. That's just a tragic situation." 


About the Author:

Ashley Harding joined the Channel 4 news team in March 2013. She reports for and anchors The Morning Show.