News
Bridge Jump Tradition Proves Fatal For Highlands Man
By Ryan Fennell
HIGHLANDS - Those that grew up in the shadow of the Highlands Bridge remember the days when leaping from the bridge was a part of summer, a daily occurrence, a rite of passage.
Unfortunately for those with fond memories of throwing caution to the wind and taking the plunge, those days are now a thing of the past.
The demolition of the 75 year old 35 foot high drawbridge and the construction of a 65 foot high fixed span bridge not only changes the visual landscape but the landscape of a cultural tradition.
On August 20 at approximately 6:45 pm, Highlands resident Ricardo Pomasan, 53, leapt from the newly constructed portion of the bridge to his death.
Pomasan's body was recovered the following day near the Oceanic Bridge that connects Rumson and Middletown according to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Peter Warshaw.
Warshaw said that the "causes and conditions" of the incident have yet to be determined.
However, friends of Pomasan's said that he had a tradition of jumping from the bridge on his birthday.
"Rich Pomasan, it was his tradition to jump off the bridge every year on his birthday," Dan Shields owner of Windansea in Highlands said. "He was celebrating his birthday and he decided to do it this year."
Shields described Pomasan as "a soft-spoken, gentle man that had a lot of friends."
Shields' brother, Ken, was good friends with Pomasan and said that Pomasan wanted to be the first to jump from the new bridge.
"We used to always jump that bridge," Ken Shields said. "It was a pastime."
"Since they built that new bridge," continued Shields. "Richie wanted to be the first to jump that bridge. He went up without telling anybody."
Although no official determination has been made by the prosecutor's office, Ken Shields does not believe Pomasan committed suicide but rather it was a tradition that went terribly wrong.
"It was definitely not suicide," Shields said. "He loved life. He left his sneakers and his cell phone (on the bridge) to come back for. He thought he could do it. It's a shame he didn't make it."
Dan Shields recalled jumping from the old bridge himself when he was 13 years old and said that he even did it "for nostalgic reasons" into his 30's.
"When you were a teenager it was a way of life in the summer," said Shields. "I jumped off that bridge since I was 13. I've seen all the best of the bridge jumpers back in the day. It was a summer tradition to jump off the bridge."
According to Shields the most frequent spot for jumpers was at the East end, the low side. Depending on the tide it was a height of approximately 25 to 30 feet according to Shields.
"You could walk up the banks of the river back up to the bridge and jump off again. You could do it all day long," Shields recalled. "If you were brave enough you move up to the middle of the bridge."
Shields estimated that the jump from the center of the bridge was about 40 to 45 feet depending on the tide.
"Then people took it to the next level and they would jump off the light post of the low end which would take you above the height of the high end," Shields said. "Not many people did that."
Shields estimated that this rare jump reached approximately 50 to 60 feet.
The new bridge has a clearance of 65 feet, almost twice the height of the old drawbridge.
Highlands Borough Administrator Bruce Hilling said the practice of jumping from the old bridge was discussed with the New Jersey Department of Transportation throughout the planning phase of the project.
"Through our interaction with the DOT over the course of the past two-and-a-half years, they've been made aware of rituals and other activities in the Highlands Borough," Hilling said.
"It's always been a part of our discussions."
Hilling did not know if the NJDOT implemented any bridge jumping deterrents into the design of the replacement bridge.
The NJDOT did not respond to inquiries by press time.
