Stephen Gucciardo failed to appear at his trial Thursday.
The Port Authority says the 42-year-old Palisades Park resident walked onto the bridge from the New Jersey side and jumped, landing in a parking lot.
Gucciardo was arrested in 2006 and charged with sexually assaulting a child who was 6 years old at the time. The child told investigators that Gucciardo had touched her inappropriately on three occasions.
Gucciardo would have faced 20 to 30 years in prison if he were convicted.
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Information from: The Record of Bergen County
