Body found in river identified

By Jeff Stitt

jstit@yourmvi.com

The Westmoreland County Coroner’s Officer suspects that a Monessen man who jumped off the Smithton Bridge on Interstate 70 Monday committed suicide.

Brian Hayden, 39, of Monessen crashed a car he was driving at 2:40 p.m. into a barrier on the bridge, which carries I-70 over the Youghiogheny River between South Huntingdon and Rostraver townships, according to coroner’s office reports.

Neither Westmoreland County Coroner Ken Bacha nor Deputy Coroner John Ackerman could be reached prior to presstime, but Bacha told the Tribune-Review it appears Hayden was trying to drive the car off of the bridge.

Witnesses reported seeing the man jump over the barrier, and Hayden’s body was found in the water. The bridge is 143 feet high, about half the length of a football field.

Traffic was affected as state police investigated and firefighters diverted motorists off the Smithton exit. Rescue teams on the Great Allegheny Passage removed Hayden’s body from the river near Cedar Creek Park.

An official ruling on the cause and manner of death are pending toxicology results, Bacha said.