WMTW – May 19, 2025
By ADAM BARTOW
There have been several suicides recently with people jumping off the bridge between Kittery and Portsmouth
KITTERY, Maine — Suicide prevention signs have now been installed on the Piscataqua River Bridge between Kittery and Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The white signs were installed on Thursday and say “There is hope. YOU MATTER. Text. Call. Chat. 988.”
Maine officials worked with New Hampshire and Seacoast mental health advocates to install the signs after three suicide attempts in just one week earlier this month on Portsmouth bridges.
“I think that that was highly unusual to have that occur in such a short amount of time,” said Portsmouth Fire Chief William McQuillen. The three suicide attempts on bridges in Portsmouth occurred within hours of each other. There are no fences along the outside of the Piscataqua River Bridge, which carries Interstate 95 over the river, with just concrete jersey barriers lining the highway. “There isn’t a single cause when individuals try to take their life,” said Dennis Walker, of Seacoast Mental Health Center.
Walker said there are things that can help a person in crisis, such as signs reminding them that people care and there are resources out there. “A small sign can make a big impact on somebody,” he said. The signs list the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 988, on them. Calls are redirected to the 24/7 rapid response team, which can offer help over the phone or dispatch its mobile response team to a person in need. Last year, there were 46,000 calls made to the line, with mobile response dispatched 7,000 times.