Woman Charged After Jumping Off Route 50 Bridge

Woman Charged After Jumping Off Route 50 Bridge
File photo by Chris Parypa

OCEAN CITY — An Ocean Pines woman was arrested for causing a disturbance in public hours after jumping off the Route 50 bridge on Sunday night and allegedly washing up on the rocks at the Ocean City end of the span.

Around 9:20 p.m. on Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Ocean City Police Department, the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP) and the Maryland State Police helicopter Trooper 4 were all dispatched to the area of the Route 50 Bridge to initiate a search effort for a reported jumper. Several people in the area had contacted the bridge tender and the Coast Guard and advised a woman had jumped off the bridge into the water.

The allied agencies searched the area for over two hours, but did not locate anyone in the water or in the surrounding area. The Ocean City Fire Department fire boat was also launched from its berth at 14th Street to join the search efforts, but was later recalled. The MSP helicopter searched the area with several passes over the bayside in the downtown area.

Around 11:30 p.m. on Sunday, several people walking off the Route 50 Bridge alerted OCPD officers they saw a woman stumbling around in the gravel parking lot on the bayside at North Division Street. OCPD officer made contact with the woman, later identified as Brooke North, 39, of Ocean Pines, who told police she had jumped off the bridge and had come ashore on the rocks.

According to the OCPD, North told the officers she was in an argument while crossing the bridge and decided to jump over the rail and into the water. North reportedly told police she did not intend to harm herself, but rather jumped into the bay because she “likes swimming and wanted to get away.”

While OCPD officers were interviewing North, she would yell at vehicles passing by and at the police. She was ultimately arrested and charged with causing a disturbance in a public place while intoxicated and disorderly conduct.

About The Author: Shawn Soper

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Shawn Soper has been with The Dispatch since 2000. He began as a staff writer covering various local government beats and general stories. His current positions include managing editor and sports editor. Growing up in Baltimore before moving to Ocean City full time three decades ago, Soper graduated from Loch Raven High School in 1981 and from Towson University in 1985 with degrees in mass communications with a journalism concentration and history.