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A man who jumped off the Carey Avenue Bridge in April was identified Thursday after his body was found downriver near Sunbury earlier this month.

Northumberland County Coroner James F. Kelley confirmed Derick J. O’Neil, 40, of Plymouth, was found May 6 in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in Point Township.

“Mr. O’Neil’s cause of death was due to drowning and the manner of death is suicide,” Kelley wrote in an email. He noted that O’Neil’s identity was confirmed using dental X-rays, dental examination and other means.

First responders received reports about someone who either fell or jumped from the bridge which connects Hanover Township and Larksville just before 9:30 p.m. April 1.

Police confirmed a sighting of someone in the river around 10:30 p.m. at the Broadway Street Bridge in Nanticoke. Rescuers then headed farther downstream toward Shickshinny and into Berwick.

Due to the swollen river and rapid currents, crews were called in around 1 a.m. April 2, but they were back on the water by mid-morning.

Point Township is roughly an hour away from Hanover Township, according to Google Maps.

Emergency responders from Plymouth Rescue search the Susquehanna River near the SCI Retreat bridge on April 1.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_web1_RiverSearch_620174203758579-1-1.jpg.optimal.jpgEmergency responders from Plymouth Rescue search the Susquehanna River near the SCI Retreat bridge on April 1. Bill Tarutis | For Times Leader

By Melanie Mizenko

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Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko.