PORTLAND, Maine — Ri Ra Irish Pub officials said Friday that when Harvard Business School student Nathan Bihlmaier left their pub, his intoxication level was judged to be a 2 out of 10. It was his behavior, not drunkenness, that caused them to ask him to leave their Portland establishment late Saturday night.
Bihlmaier, 31, disappeared early Sunday morning and was found dead late Tuesday morning in Portland Harbor. The cause of death was determined to be accidental drowning.
He was in the Old Port with two Harvard classmates to celebrate their upcoming business school graduation when he was asked to leave Ri Ra because, police officials have said, he was “visibly intoxicated.”
In their first interview since the incident, Jay Luther, owner of the 12 Ri Ra Irish Pubs nationwide, and Northeast Group Business Manager James Thompson told the Bangor Daily News Friday Bihlmaier was asked to leave primarily because of bad behavior, not drunkenness.
They also said Scott St. Ours, the security manager at the Portland pub, offered to procure Bihlmaier a taxi from a nearby cab stand, but Bihlmaier declined because he was staying at the Hilton Garden Inn across the street.
“Scott stated to us and to officers, he offered him a cab multiple times,” Thompson said. “Scott observed his behavior. He felt like he wasn’t staggering, he was speaking clearly. He was doing the most he could without forcing something on Nathan. That’s above and beyond what Maine state law says. Scott indicated that on a scale of 1 to 10 [in terms of intoxication], he was a 2. His eyes were not glassed over, and he was walking straight.”
“He was not falling over drunk,” Luther confirmed.
However, the Ri Ra officials said, he was acting inappropriately. They declined to describe in detail what actions caused Bihlmaier to be asked to leave out of respect for his family.
“He was removed for observed behavior that goes beyond drunkenness,” Luther said. “His behavior was first brought to our attention by a customer.”
St. Ours witnessed Bihlmaier turning west on Commercial Street, Thompson said, after he was escorted from the premises around 11:30 p.m.
Police have reported that Bihlmaier later spoke to his friends by cellphone at 12:15 a.m. near a building he didn’t recognize but described to friends — investigators later came to believe it was the U.S. Custom House on Commercial Street — and his cellphone stopped transmitting at 12:54 a.m. It remains unclear whether his cellphone stopped transmitting because its battery was drained or because it was underwater.
Bihlmaier’s friends reported him missing the following morning after being unable to rendezvous with him, and his body was found around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday by divers near the Custom House Wharf after nearly two days of searching.
Portland Police Chief Michael Sauschuck told reporters this week his department is attempting to piece together Bihlmaier’s final hours and determine how he ended up in the water by watching streetside security video footage from establishments along Commercial Street.
Early on in the investigation, police reported finding an article of clothing in Portland Harbor near the Maine State Pier, two wharves east of the Custom House Wharf.
“It’s a terrible situation,” Luther said. “It’s a tragedy. I really feel for his family and his wife. It’s been a long week for a lot of us. We’re cooperating with the police and hopefully they can find out what happened and find closure here.”
What is the point of this article? Its pretty clear that the bar has no responsibility for the actions of a grown man, so why does this story keep getting more updates?
It sounds like they are “modifying” their original story by saying he was bounced from the bar for bad behavior and not drunkedness. Typical corporate response: “Cover Your A@@”.
Why this article suggesting the poor guy was behaving badly? Nice to cast aspersions on the dead? Not so much. He’s dead. Isn’t that punishment enough without character assassination on the part of the bar or this newspaper.
The BDN is just reporting what Ri Ra employees have told them. It’s not the BDN’s job to sugarcoat the facts to spare feelings.
That’s right unless its someone very very important that the BDN is covering up actual reporting to save the reputation and face of that same very important person, and then its perfectly acceptable.
There does need to be an explanation for why he was asked to leave the bar. Especially now that the bar staff is saying it wasn’t due to his level of intoxication.
Wonder what the toxicology report from the autopsy will show.
It won’t show bad behavior.
It could show if a substance other than alcohol may have caused the bad behavior.
They didin’t check his blood alachol level!!!
Would this story have any legs if he was not a Harvard student? This story emphasizes the false characterization that Harvard students and graduates are superior to other individuals. The fact that the unfortunate individual was a Harvard student had nothing to do with the story. Remove this type of stereotypical portrayal because it takes away from the true story.
Excellent point, accountnow. Perhaps another aspect as to why the story continues to have legs is that photos of the now pregnant wife, who has movie-star beauty, always accompanies. Pathos all around ….it does sell newspapers.
If he wasnt drunk, then how did he FALL into the bay? Wonder if maybe there is something else to look at here and he was said to have harassed a couple of women? Did those women have friends with them? Something about this story really stinks to me.
I think that’s the point of the update. If he was staggering drunk then falling into the water makes far more sense than if he was coherent and not visibly intoxicated. It’s probably going too far to say that this automatically leads to the assumption of foul play, but it may mean that more investigating needs to be done.
I don’t know the answer, but how many “staggering drunk” people per decade die by drowning as a result of falling off a pier adjacent to a Maine coast drinking place?
While it may be that what happened was an accident, there are other credible scenarios. In light of these, the statement, “The cause of death was determined to be accidental drowning ” is not complete and may be inaccurate.
So what? Whether it be drunkeness or bad behavior there is no cause to blame the bar for a man’s accidental drowning. Why don’t we start booking everyone on the street who saw him that night too if we apply the same logic to the case.
Though the bar employee did what he did by law but you would think to use your brain too and realize that hey I should have call a cab for this person so that he wouldn’t get hurt in anyway but the bar employee didn’t use his brain and now this young person is gone. Maybe all bar employee’s should stop serving drinks when they see someone who had to much and call a cab for that person for by doing so, you save his life as well as for his friends they too should have taken him home instead of leaving him like they did. Now his friends have to live with the fact that they could have save his life by taking him home or call a cab. My prayers go out to his parents and school mates.
His hotel room was right across the street!!!!!
You have no idea what you are talking about Elizabeth. Culpability is primarily the victims; then, perhaps, you can make the extension that his friends should have been more vigilant. The Hilton Garden Inn is across the street from the pub the victim was at, therefore, he would not have taken a taxi regardless of whether the security officer asked him or not. This is a very tragic loss I agree; however, the pub, nor any of the workers therein, are liable for poor judgment on the part of the patron.
Is there any time we can stop being a nanny and let people exercise their rights? He refused a cab. That’s his right.
I understand why Northeast Group wants to walk this story back and try and play it out in the press
It’s a chain.
Having read the name ‘RiRa’ and because no other bar was being mentioned, readers naturally concluded that’s where he was celebrating, along with his friends. The timeline has changed and the description of his demeanor and actions has changed or was never reported by BDN
I read an article in an Augusta newspaper that told a remarkably different story which suggested that he was ‘visibly intoxicated’, having knocked into some band equipment and ‘behaving inappropriately’ toward an unknown female patron. Whatever that means. Most guys do that in a bar, don’t they?
It also described the bouncer as having walked with him for a block and a half while observing his balance and speech, all of which would indicate there was, at least initially, a reason to be ‘concerned’ for his well-being.
There is a lesson here for all proprietors in the hospitality industry, no doubt. And also for private, individual party throwers and goers. People do stupid things when alcohol is involved and somebody needs to be the ‘designated driver’, as it were. In my opinion, that’s the bar in this case.
In fairness, I know plenty of brilliant people who are not particularly worldly, much less street smart, who one might characterize as socially awkward and otherwise surprisingly inexperienced or immature.
Expectations are why this story has gotten so much attention. There something for everybody towards which to relate.
Well written. College graduations and other similar events; 21st birthday etc. cause folks who do not regularly stay out that late or drink that hard to end up in a situation that is not familiar to them. Fortunately- the vast majorityof these celebrations culminate with a big head and some degree of embarrassment. This could have happened to any of us.
Bouncers do NOT walk a block and a half with drunken or other patrons that have been asked to leave. Once they are outside then they are on their own. I’m not saying that the bouncers wouldn’t try to accommodate a patron with an offer of a cab ride etc. or try to help out in any way. But only while inside the bar. RiRa is a great place. I frequent it. It is a well run, normally calm, fun place to hang out. If this gentleman said he was staying at the Hilton Garden Inn, it IS right across the street.
I also read a news piece where it was reported the bouncer walked with Bihlmaier for a block and a half. I thought that part was unusual, but I don’t know the guy, and all I know about the case comes from newspapers, so I would have no basis to question his truthfulness.
I’ll reply to last night’s comment by saying that this morning’s PPH reports that Ri Ra’s security video shows the bouncer escorting Bihlmaier out of the bar and the bouncer returning 28 seconds later. Hmmm . . .
You are correct all the way around. I’d be surprised if most of those bars didn’t get together with or without law enforcement to go over their current practices or even modify what they do in these situations. If this should happen again-the publicity won’t be welcome by what most people think are very well run establishments.
Could have been me way back when. Terrible accident that we all can learn from. Sad the teacher had to die that others may live.
A Harvard degree is becoming a liability.
The timeline has changed, the bar’s story ambiguous, he wasn’t a local….if i was his father I’d have a P.I./ lawyer and would own the Cheif of Police!
This man didn’t just stumble into the water…there is more evidence to the contrary!
Please elaborate on your hypothesis. Because from the information I have gleaned thus far, an intoxicated individual was ejected from a bar as a result of behaving badly then proceeded to succumb to an accidental drowning in the bay.
If you do your homework on the case, you will find that the young man was a lifegaurd in his teens(he can swim); not physically large(by no means intimidating to a larger agressor); dressed like a harvard prep w/2 friends(looking out of place at ri ra); offended a female; kicked out without friends; bouncer walked block and half with him???wtf; not visibly intoxicated(bouncer’s statement “2 of possible 10”)…this all now occured at 11:30pm not 12:20pm as the Chief of Police confimed at his press conference with media before body was found!…if the Cheif can’t confirm a correct timeline from the beginning of the investigation the rest of the investigation is doomed! Show me video evidence at this point!
The Chief of Police in the city of Porland, Maine(3.6 million tourists last year, im sure he doesn’t want to consider foul play) is obviously inept from the start! Very sad
Harvard MBA does not equal common sense…… this appears to be a tragic accident or suicide.
Alcohol abuse is a great equalizer.
why didn’t his friends leave with him? You would think once he was kicked out they would have left together??
According to something else I read (don’t quite remember where), the bouncer asked him if he wanted his friends notified that he was being escorted out, and he said no.
I realize my question is going to be slightly off topic, but I still think this is a good place to ask it-
If a person is visibly intoxicated at a bar, is the bar required to ask them to leave, or just to stop serving them alcohol?
I realize that’s not what happened here, it was his behavior and not his intoxication that got him asked to leave, but I figure someone might know the answer just the same.
a bar is required to stop serving them alcohol, and I do believe their liquor license would be on the line if someone in there is visibly intoxicated. The chances of a liquor enforcement officer showing up though is pretty slim as the state only has a few of them. I was trained to try to sober the person up (water, coffee or food). If the person leaves, and gets into a vehicle to drive, take the plate number and call the cops. If he had gotten behind a wheel and killed someone, or himself, the bar, and the bartender/server would be held responsible. It’s possible they still could be held responsible for this.
He was celebrating. He went to a bar. He got drunk and was asked to leave. He died in a tragic accident. It doesnt mean he was an alcoholic or irresponsible, or the the bar were irresponsible. It means he died in a tragic accident.
Something’s not right about this incident. I too have a hard time believing that this guy just accidentally fell into Casco Bay and drowned. Based on the information available, it seems highly unlikely that that’s what happened. It is tragic, and hundreds of people get wasted in the Old Port every single weekend, and something like this could have happened to anyone. It just doesn’t make sense that he was apparently not that drunk, and his hotel was almost directly across the street from the bar. How the heck did he manage to fall off from the docks and drown?
This was a NON-recreational drowning. There is, therefore, a great degree of doubt over this man’s untimely demise. Not the least because he was a skilled swimmer and a certified lifeguard. So, before “foul play” can truly be ruled out here there should be a serious inquiry into his mysterious disappearance and subsequent death.
Also, while full-immersion drowning events are each unique in their own way, there is a fundamental science that rules in every case. For instance, since this particular victim’s body was
recovered by divers at the bottom of the harbor before putrefaction set in which would have caused its refloat in a few more days, then was it found in the standard semi-fetal position down there? Or was it, instead, observed with its head tilted to one side, or in another pose which would suggest it had been placed there postmortem?
Additionally, BAC (blood-alcohol) tests are totally unreliable in cases of drownings, since blood is diluted by as much as 50% in freshwater, and because, once decomposition has begun, the body manufactures alcohol in the process, causing misleading spikes as high as 50% in some corpses, depending, of course, on the victim’s own chemistry, what he ate just prior to the agonal event, etc.
There is much more a medical examiner can look for, but my point is simple: There are lots of serious questions about the spate of non-recreational drownings of young men in the northern corridor over the past 15 years, and they aren’t being asked by law enforcement. Lots of serious questions about the strange circumstances that lead up to these tragedies are not being properly investigated either.
Can’t help but to wonder why.
What does it matter what transpired!! A wife has lost a husband, an unborn child has no father & family & friends have lost someone they love. He wasn’t doing anything many of have not done in our younger years. Partying, celebrating, raising hell. How many of us can look back & say what if. It was no ones fault, it was an accident, a chain of events that turned out badly & it is a tragic loss to his loved ones. My condolences go out to them all.
Thank you for finally printing the truth. It seems that misinformation was issued initially, in order to protect him, but that made others look bad. It’s always best to tell the truth the first time, then the papers and the public would get it right.