NYPD officers scaled the Williamsburg Bridge Sunday to talk down a suicidal New Yorker in a daring rescue captured on bodycam video.
Members of the department’s Emergency Service Unit climbed up the bridge at 5:23 p.m. after 911 callers reported spotting a man threatening to jump from atop the span.
The cops made their way to the man, who was hundreds of feet above the East River, through the stormy weather and were able to safely bring him back to ground level, the NYPD said.
“Suspended hundreds of feet above the water, they remained undeterred by the dangerous rainy conditions,” the department said in a statement.
The bodycam footage shows two officers calmly trying to convince the man to come back down the bridge with them.
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“My man, talk to me,” one of the specialized officers said in the clip released by the NYPD. “I’m here to help you, man. Talk to me. What’s your name?”
“Whatever you’re going through, it happens to all of us, man, ya know? But we gotta get you down from there,” he said. “But listen, we gotta do this carefully ’cause it’s raining. It’s super slippery so I care about your safety and my partner’s.”
The clip — which was edited to protect the man’s identity and for length — ends with the two harnessed officers helping the man down to additional ESU cops waiting below.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
