We've heard that people commit suicide by jumping off of bridges instead of going a less spectacular route like pills or closed garages precisely because it does create a spectacle. Going out with a bang, so to speak, after failing to make an impact in life. Well, the person who jumped from the Aurora bridge late this morning succeeded in the spectacle-making department above and beyond the usual depression in the Adobe parking lot. The guy landed on some wires causing a transformer in Fremont to blow and power is currently out to some homes in the Center of the Universe.

From the P-I:

The impact of the man's body caused a nearby transformer to explode, making as noise several people nearby thought sounded like bullets being discharged.

"We got several calls about gunfire, but that's what it actually was," said Renee Witt, a spokeswoman for the Seattle Police Department.

Officers were dispatched to North 34st Street and Troll Avenue North at 11:22 a.m.

Recently we were glad to see that suicide hotline phones have been installed on the bridge, although they didn't seem to work in this case. UW also had a mysterious power outage today.