Vincent Thomas Bridge Becomes Suicide Location for Director Tony Scott
Acclaimed director Tony Scott jumped off the Vincent Thomas Bridge on Sunday, Aug, 20 and died at the age of 68. Scott parked his car on the bridge and left a note inside with contact information before taking the leap.
One lane of the eastbound side of the bridge was closed off while police were on the scene investigating.
The 6,060-foot bridge connects San Pedro with Terminal Island and rises 185 feet at its highest point, hanging over the Los Angeles Harbor. It was named after California Assemblyman Vincent Thomas and was erected to replace the ferries that used to be the only source of transportation to cross over the main channel of the harbor.
The four-lane bridge was completed in 1963 and with its cement, concrete, steel and cables, it is designed to withstand 90 mile per hour winds, according to SanPedro.com. The site has been featured in films such as "Charles Angeles," "Gone in 60 Seconds" and "The Fast and the Furious."
This is not the first time someone has died from jumping off the Thomas bridge. In 1990, Olympic medalist Larry Andreasen was killed at the age of 42 after jumping off in an attempt to set a diving world record.
The bridge has an 8-to 10-foot fence that Scott scaled before committing suicide. A dive team with the Los Angeles Police was able to pull out Scott's body from the water only three hours after the actual suicide took place. His body was taken to the dock in Wilmington and then turned over to the coroner's office, according to the Huffington Post.
Scott was know as the director of the Tom Cruise hit "Top Gun" and "Man on Fire" as well as a co-producer on the television series' "The Good Wife" and "NUMB3RS."
