Officers heroically save man who was threatening to jump off bridge

NEW YORK CITY, NY - Police officers with the Emergency Service Unit (ESU) are being hailed as heroes after saving a barefoot man who threatened to jump off the Brooklyn Bridge.

According to the New York Post, police responded at 3:17 p.m. on Saturday, November 23rd, to reports of a man climbing around on the outside part of the bridge near the Brooklyn side. Officers, who responded to help the man, began a dialogue once on scene after he told them that he was going to jump off and kill himself. He even flipped the bird at the officers just before dangling precariously from the high bridge.

Photos of the incident show the man's most dangerous stunt, hanging from underneath the bridge with just two hands more than 100 feet over the East River. He held that position for close to 20 seconds, just to the point of flirting with accidental physical failure. 

At one point, the man walked a beam like he was walking the plank, stopped to crouch at the very end, and surveyed the crowd of people that had gathered to witness what was happening on the bridge. When the man eventually muscled himself back up, the officers made their move. One ESU officer was able to reach across a beam and put a hand on the man's back.

Another ESU officer came from behind and they were able to corral the man to safety. The entire standoff lasted just over an hour. The man was taken into custody by police at 4:22 p.m.

While the incident was going on, westbound traffic on the bridge was put to an emergency halt so that NYPD Emergency Service Units as well as the Tactical Assistance Response Unit Drone Team could gain access to the potential jumper. The man was then taken to Bellevue Hospital for a psychological evaluation. No charges have been filed.

In a separate incident, a man died after jumping off from the Charles County bridge in Maryland. According to reports, the man, who has yet to be identified, died after it was reported that he had jumped into the Potomac River off the bridge. Fire and rescue units from Charles County and King George County in Virginia were dispatched for a reported "person jumping" from the Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial/Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton Bridge on Wednesday, November 20th.

William Smith, the public information officer for the Charles County Volunteer Fire and EMS Associations said that "it's very rare" for someone to jump from that bridge. He added, "It's the first time we've had one on the new bridge."

There were a handful of incidents of suicide reported on the new old Harry Nice Bridge, which was replaced by the new bridge that opened in October 2022. The November 20th call was received around 11:45 a.m., sending marine resources to the area of the bridge. According to Smith, after the jump was reported, marine assets were instantly put into the water.

The individual was found within roughly 10 minutes of the report. Boat #1, the Colonial Beach Fire Boat, retrieved the body and brought him to the Aqualand Marina to land units that were on standby. Fire rescue units cleared the scene around 1:00 p.m. Maryland Transit Administration police will be handling the investigation.