Local News
29-Year-Old Michaela Waldrop Killed in Fatal Motorcycle Crash on Route 16 in Gorham
GORHAM, N.H. — Authorities are investigating a fatal single-vehicle motorcycle crash that claimed the life of a Massachusetts woman late Thursday night on North Main Street (Route 16) in Gorham.
According to the Gorham Police Department, emergency crews were dispatched at approximately 10:32 p.m. on Thursday, July 2, 2026, after receiving multiple 911 calls reporting a motorcycle crash near mile marker 114.4 on North Main Street, also known as the Berlin-Gorham Road.
The preliminary investigation determined that a 2011 black Harley-Davidson motorcycle, operated by Ryan Collins Tidwell, 29, of Berlin, New Hampshire, was traveling with a second motorcycle when the crash occurred.
Authorities have not yet released details regarding what caused the motorcycle to crash.
The passenger on Tidwell’s motorcycle, Michaela Svetlana Waldrop, 29, of Malden, Massachusetts, suffered fatal injuries in the collision and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Officials confirmed that her next of kin have been notified.
Following the crash, investigators closed a section of Berlin-Gorham Road (Route 16) for approximately six hours while members of the Gorham Police Department and the New Hampshire State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction (C.A.R.) Unit conducted a detailed examination of the crash scene.
During the closure, traffic was diverted through the Cascade Flats area.
The Gorham Police Department was assisted at the scene by the Berlin Police Department as well as Gorham Fire and EMS, whose personnel provided emergency response and scene support.
Authorities emphasized that every aspect of the fatal motorcycle crash remains under active investigation.
No additional information regarding contributing factors or possible causes has been released at this time.
Anyone with information that may assist investigators is encouraged to contact the Gorham Police Department as the investigation into the deadly crash continues.
Local News
29-Year-Old Alex Rodriguez Found Dead on University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, No Foul Play Suspected
URBANA, Ill. — A 29-year-old Champaign man found dead on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus Monday morning has been identified as Alex C. Rodriguez, according to the Champaign County Coroner’s Office.
The University of Illinois Police Department (UIPD) responded to the area of Green and Wright streets at approximately 6:42 a.m. after receiving a report of an unresponsive person near the Alma Mater statue.
Officers arrived and found Rodriguez on a concrete bench. Emergency medical assistance was requested at the scene.
The Champaign County Coroner’s Office responded, and Rodriguez was pronounced dead at approximately 7:16 a.m., according to Coroner Laurie Brauer.
Authorities said Rodriguez was not affiliated with the University of Illinois.
UIPD provided an update Monday afternoon, saying preliminary observations at the scene revealed no signs of foul play.
Police also said there was no evidence of an ongoing threat to the university campus or surrounding community based on the information available when officers responded.
Because investigators did not identify an active threat, the university did not issue an Illini-Alert emergency notification.
The circumstances surrounding Rodriguez’s death have not been determined.
An autopsy has been scheduled, and the death remains under investigation by the University of Illinois Police Department.
Authorities have not released additional information about the circumstances leading to Rodriguez’s death.
The investigation remains ongoing, and additional details are expected as investigators receive further information from the autopsy and other evidence.
No foul play has been indicated based on the preliminary investigation.