New London Police Identify Man Who Fell From Bridge

New London Police identified the man who fell to his death on July 21 from the Amtrak Bridge that spans the Thames River as Christopher Casey Goff, 20, of Groton.  

Because the incident occurred on the bridge between New London and Groton, police departments from both municipalities were involved in investigating the incident.  The New London Police Department described the young man’s death as a suicide in a press release issued on July 21. Groton Town Police initially said the death was “noncriminal in nature.”

Groton Town Police were first alerted to a potential problem after receiving a request to do a “well-being” check on the Groton man at around 2:23 a.m.  Police first sighted him in the vicinity of Fairview Avenue but he fled. Police caught up with him again on the bridge but were unable to stop him from plunging to his death sometime around 3:30 or 4:00 a.m. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted with the recovery of the body.

Goff’s family plans to hold a graveside funeral service at Starr Cemetery in Groton at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, July 26. According to the obituary, Goff was the son of Malissa Kersteid of Groton and Christopher Shawn Goff of Oklahoma. He graduated from Fitch Senior High School in 2009 with high honors and worked at Walmart in Groton.

Byles-Groton Memorial Home, 310 Thames St., Groton is assisting with the arrangements.