Bridgewater Man Dies In Suicide Jump

A Bridgewater man died Friday morning after jumping from the fifth floor into the atrium of the AT&T complex in Bedminster, Acting Somerset County Prosecutor Peter DeMarco said Monday.

Ralph Merritt, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene after officials were notified at around 11:34 a.m. that he had jumped from the fifth floor into the atrium of Building B where he was an employee, according to DeMarco.

DeMarco said that a preliminary investigation has determined the incident to be a suicide, but a post-mortem examination is being performed by the medical examiner's office.

An investigation into the incident is being conducted by the Bedminster Township Police Department, the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit, members of the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiners Office and the emergency medical technicians from the Somerset Medical Center.

Anyone with information about the incident can contact the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100, the Bedminster Township Police Department at 908-234-0585 or the Somerset County Crime Stoppers' Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS.