**** SIRT Release
SiRT Concludes Investigation into Motor Vehicle Accident that Resulted in Death
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The Director of the Serious Incident Response Team (SiRT) found no reasonable grounds to believe an off-duty member of the Bridgewater Police Service committed a criminal offence in relation to a motor vehicle accident that resulted in the death of an adult male.
On the night of March 28, 2026, two RCMP officers in separate vehicles responded to a call regarding a group of four adults, including an adult male, whose vehicle had run out of gas. One of the officers located the vehicle and three occupants on the side of Highway #103 in Tantallon. The other officer located an adult male a short distance away, walking towards a gas station. He picked him up and brought him to get gas. While there, the officer was dispatched to an urgent call and had to leave the male at the gas station as he was still sorting out payment for the gas.
The male departed the gas station on foot. He was observed on Highway # 103 near Exit # 5 by civilians who were driving on the highway. Around the same time, an off-duty member of the Bridgewater Police Service was traveling in her personal vehicle. As she entered the highway from the on ramp at Exit 5, the male quickly stepped into the roadway and was struck by her vehicle. RCMP and EHS responded, and the male was pronounced deceased at the scene. The incident was captured on a civilian’s vehicle dash cam, which SiRT reviewed as part of its investigation.
SiRT was contacted by the RCMP shortly after the incident, when it was determined that the person driving the car was an off-duty officer. SiRT began its investigation immediately.
The Director’s detailed report is available online: 2026-0037-Directors-Summary-of-Investigation-6ac3b167a8849.pdf .
SiRT is responsible for investigating all matters that involve death, serious injury, sexual assault and intimate partner violence or other matters of a public interest that may have arisen from the actions of any police officer, on or off duty, in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. Investigations are under the direction and control of an independent civilian director, who has the sole authority to determine if charges should be laid at the conclusion of an investigation.
