Jul 10, 2024 By Mike Jones 2 min read

Park Avenue in North Franklin was closed for nearly four hours Tuesday after state police were called for a welfare check at a residence in the township and became concerned that the man inside was armed with a gun.

Numerous state troopers were stationed outside the house in the 900 block of Park Avenue near Armour Street after being called about 10:30 a.m. by the man’s family members, who were concerned about his well-being.

The state police’s specialized tactical response team tried unsuccessfully to make contact with the man and used a drone to peer inside the house, state police Trooper Rocco Gagliardi said. When troopers went inside, they found the man dead from an apparent suicide.

The Washington County coroner was called to help investigate, although the man’s identity and the address where the incident happened were not immediately released.

The situation closed the heavily traveled roadway, which is also known as state Route 18, until shortly before 2:30 p.m., when police announced the incident had concluded.

“The incident on Park Ave has been concluded,” the state police’s Troop B barracks announced on Twitter/X. “There is no immediate threat or danger to the public at this time.”

North Franklin fire Chief Dave Bane said his department was dispatched to help close the roadway and diverted traffic between McJay Drive and Williams Street. Traffic was detoured around the area using side streets during the incident.