On February 21, 2018, 35-year-old Bryan Michael Hamel was last seen on the French King Bridge in Erving, Massachusetts. Surveillance video recorded him stopping his vehicle on the bridge and going over the rail; when police arrived a minute or two after he parked, his car was in the middle of the bridge with the driver’s door open and Bryan was gone. Extreme weather and turbulent river conditions at the time made recovery efforts unlikely and his body has never been recovered.

A 16-year U.S. Navy veteran and Chief Petty Officer, Bryan was serving as president of the Chief’s Mess at Corry Station in Pensacola when he disappeared. He was married to Jenna and father to their son Lucca; Jenna was pregnant with their daughter at the time. Bryan was known as a photographer, writer, and avid fisherman, and had colorful distinctive tattoos. His mother, Stacey Hamel, later advocated for safety barriers on the French King Bridge.

If anyone has information about Bryan’s disappearance or saw activity on the bridge that day, please share what is known.