Portsmouth police say man died by suicide prior to Maplewood Ave. crash

PORTSMOUTH — A driver found deceased last week inside a car that crashed onto the front lawn of a Maplewood Avenue residence Sept. 22 was determined to have died by suicide, according to city police.

The man had shot himself in the head, according to Portsmouth Police Deputy Chief Michael Maloney, who cited the findings of the state medical examiner. The driver’s death caused the vehicle to swerve over the opposite lane, narrowly missing striking oncoming traffic, Maloney said.

Police said the man who died was a 27-year-old Dover resident. Police did not release his name, stating  he was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

“Unfortunately, we see this on a somewhat regular basis where people need crisis intervention or crisis help,” Maloney said. “There’s resources available. There is a crisis intervention response if you need it and we encourage anybody who needs it, or anybody who knows someone who needs it, to ask for help.”

Maloney said he used a handgun and "that's what caused the crash,” Maloney said.

Two vehicles were approaching in the opposite lane at the time of the man’s death, including one a few feet away as the dead man's vehicle veered across the yellow road line, said Maloney.

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“One of the female witnesses there had to take evasive action in order to not be hit by him,” he said.

No injuries occurred as a result of the vehicle crashing into the residence’s front lawn, though the vehicle did cause minor property damage to a stone wall outside the home.

Maplewood Avenue was reopened several hours after the crash was reported.

If you need help: Suicide hotline number

You can reach the rapid response teams and other emergency mental health services 24/7 by calling the new 988 suicide hotline number or 1-833-710-6477. You can also reach out via nh988.com.

A representative from Beacon Health Options answers those lines and conducts an initial screening. Some crises are handled through phone referrals while others lead to a mobile crisis team dispatch.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth police: Driver died by suicide before Maplewood Ave. crash