On Wednesday morning, while police activity increased for some neighborhoods related to the stabbing of Scout, people also saw police activity down at Long Dock along the Hudson River, where the kayak rental locker stack is, atop the boat load-in ramp area. The dock was marked off with yellow caution tape. Meanwhile, morning commuters on I-84 reported a traffic build-up on the Newburgh Beacon Bridge.

As first reported by Mid Hudson News, a person did jump from the the Newburgh Beacon Bridge from the north span side. According to someone familiar with the event, police do set up a catch location down the river to receive the person if a “talk down” does not work, where professionals will try to talk to the person contemplating jumping.

Mid Hudson News reported that the person did jump, and that their body was recovered by the Newburgh fire boat, who found the person in the river. The article states that the person was brought to the Beacon side of the river, and given to authorities.

ALBB has not confirmed which police entity was at Long Dock. There are several police entities that can patrol or serve Beacon, including the MTA Police, Dutchess County Sherriff’s Department and New York State Troopers.

ALBB Reminder: The Lenape people, who were native to this region, called the river Muhheakunnuk, The River that Runs Both Ways.

Picture of the train tracks along the Hudson River, formerly named the Muhheakunnuk by the Lenape.
*Photo Credit: Twinkle*

A Beaconite who needed to take the train to New York City for an audition was waiting at the bus stop for the free LOOP Bus at the Dummy Light on Beacon’s east end, which circles Beacon and a surrounding area from the train station, but the bus was late. She called the dispatcher to inquire and was told that the bus was being detained by the police at the Beacon train station. “There was a train partially in the station and a lot of police activity on the platform. Someone had jumped in front of the train,” the Beaconite told her Instagram family.

Texts began bubbling up as word spread about a person whose life ended on Tuesday early afternoon. Unconfirmed local sources who said they were standing near the person who jumped shared their experiences with each other in a local Facebook group. One train traveler who was waiting on the platform nearby to the person who jumped said that they saw the person, who they said looked like a young man with tattoo markings on his face, put something that looked like a passport onto the platform before jumping in front of the oncoming train. This detail is not confirmed.

UPDATE 11:25am 12/9/2021: MTA Media Relations has released the person’s name to A Little Beacon Blog as Douglas Drucker, age 36, from Ossining, NY.

The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corp. (BVAC) confirmed on their Facebook page that they had responded to an emergency at the train station, saying: “Earlier today The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance was dispatched to a train vs pedestrian. Mental illness is a very serious disease. We just want you to know if you are feeling alone, you are not alone.”

A media spokesperson for the MTA Police confirmed the fatality of the individual, stating to ALBB: “At 1pm, the 12:40pm [train] from Poughkeepsie fatally struck an unauthorized male at the Beacon station.” The train was delayed for approximately 1 hour, and passengers transferred to the other platform to catch the next train, the spokesperson said.

The Beacon Volunteer Ambulance Corp. (BVAC) wanted people to try to remember: “If you’re having a psychiatric emergency we urge you to please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. Reach out to a friend or family member to assist you in seeking help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255 or contact the Dutchess County Department of Mental Health & Hygiene. These are all 24 hours a day 365 days a year of help. Please, save and share this information. ** Your safety is important to us and we do care. But please know that this page is not consistently monitored. If you need immediate help, please call 911 or contact the numbers listed above. **”

Blessings to the individual and their family. And blessings to you if you are feeling extra troubled at this time. Go easy on yourself, and reach out to the hotlines and/or to someone you trust.