Crime & Safety

Peddie School Teacher Jumps to Death Off of GW Bridge

Authorities went to the Hightstown campus to investigate sex allegations between a teacher and student on the same day the suicide took place.

Peddie School math teacher Donovan Dickson reportedly committed suicide by jumping to his death off of the George Washington Bridge on Oct. 4 at around 11 a.m. or 11:30 p.m., authorities have confirmed. Dickson was pronounced dead and his body was identified by family on Oct. 5. 

On the same day, Mercer County detectives arrived at the boarding high school’s campus to investigate allegations made about a teacher engaging in sexual activity with an underage student, Mercer County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Casey Deblasio said. 

Police did not confirm if Dickson, 24, was the teacher being investigated or if the suicide and the allegations were linked, according to an NJ.com report. According to the Mercer County Prosecutor's office, no charges have been filed in the underage sex case and the case is deemed closed. Since no charges have been filed, the identity of the teacher will not be officially identified. 

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On the same day, however, Dickson jumped to his death from the New York City side of the George Washington Bridge and fell on a small peninsula off of Manhattan that contains a lighthouse, according to the NJ.com report. Port Authority spokesman Joseph Pentangelo said that a witness reported seeing a jumper and his body was found by a uniformed Port Authority police officer by the George Washington Bridge New York tower, Pentangelo said. Dickson was pronounced dead at the scene. No car or items related to Dickson were found on the bridge, according to Pentangelo. 

The New York City Medical Examiner's office ruled the death as a suicide; blunt force trauma to Dickson's head and torso were the cause of his death, according to the medical examiner's office. 

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Hightstown Police Director James LeTellier told Patch that he is not able to speak about the investigation until he is authorized and referred all questions to the Prosecutor's office. A statement issued by the prosecutor's office announced that no additional information will be released about this case by the prosecutor's office and the investigation is closed. 


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