EDGARTOWN  –  [MSP MEDIA STATEMENT] At midnight State Police were requested by Edgartown Police to assist in searching for two males who jumped into the water from the “Jaws Bridge” on Martha’s Vineyard. The males did not surface after jumping.

State Police mobilized marine and air assets to respond. Local police and firefighters searched for the men until approximately 3:30 AM. The State Police Marine Unit transported State Police divers to the island to resume the search this morning. The MSP Air Wing also has responded. Search operations by MSP and local units are ongoing.

Officially named the American Legion Memorial Bridge, the bridge is located on Beach Road and connects Edgartown and Oak Bluffs.

Updates will be provided when appropriate.

MSP UPDATE 1: Both males are young adults.

MSP UPDATE 2  –  8/15/22 @ 9:15AM:  A search team has recovered the body of one of the victims. The search for the second victim is ongoing. MSP is not releasing anything further at this time.

MSP UPDATE 3 – 8/15/22 @ 3PM: In response to inquiries from media outlets, and because next-of-kin have been notified, we are confirming that the two victims in the Jaws Bridge incident are brothers. The victim we recovered this morning was 26 years old. The victim for whom we are still searching is 21. They were/are seasonal workers at a restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard. We believe they were renting at an Oak Bluffs residence.

MSP UPDATE 4 – 8/15/2022 @ 4:30PM: State Police divers and Marine Unit crews have suspended the search for the second male for tonight. Troopers will return tomorrow with Environmental Police Officers to continue to search using side scan sonar.

MSP UPDATE 5 – 8/16/2022 @ 8:30AM: We have several divers and a Marine Unit boat and crew working alongside Environmental Police officers Enviromental Police are deploying a sidescan sonar device, which uses sound waves to detect objects or anomalies in the water column or on the ocean floor. If the EPO sonar detects an anomaly our Underwater Recovery Unit members will dive on it to determine what it is. The overall area they have searched/are searching is very large, encompassing both the inlet on the land side of the bridge and the ocean on the seaward side. 

MSP UPDATE 6 – 8/16/2022 @ 2:30PM: State Police Marine and Dive units and Environmental Police today cleared the inlet/pond on the land side of the American Legion Memorial Bridge without locating Tavaughn Bulgin, 21. Units began searching the Atlantic Ocean side of the bridge but were hampered by poor weather that caused dangerous conditions. As such, we had to suspend the water search for the remainder of the day. We will assess weather conditions on a day-by-day basis to determine when conditions are safe for divers to resume.

LATEST MSP UPDATE – 8/19/2022: At approximately 11:30 AM [8/18/2022] a shell fisherman located the deceased body of a young adult male on the western edge of Sengekontacket Pond. The body matches the description of Tavaughn Bulgin, 21, who has been the subject of a weeklong ongoing search since he went missing Sunday night after jumping from the Big Bridge (Jaws Bridge) between Edgartown and Oak Bluffs. State Police and local police are on scene. No further information is being released at this time.

The body of Tavaris Bulgin, 26, Tavaughn’s brother, was recovered on Monday. The Bulgins are from Jamaica and were seasonal employees at restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard.

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