A jumper climbed the outside part of Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, November 23, apparently to commit suicide. Cops arrived at the scene and engaged in heated dialogue with the man, who received them by giving them the middle finger. Eventually, officers were able to save the man and put him in custody after a very long hour.
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The barefoot jumper was able to climb up the Brooklyn Bridge and threatened officers to "jump off and kill himself," according to the New York Post. Officers began to talk to him and reason him out of his trance, but he was not receptive at all. He "flipped the bird" to one of the officers, and then things began to escalate.
Witnesses described the man as agitated as he shook his head, flailed his hands, and screamed at the police officers who were trying to save him. He walked across a beam too, as he took notice of the crowd that was witnessing the situation.
In an extremely dangerous stunt, the unidentified man hanged from underneath the bridge with his hands. He was 100 feet above the East River, and he stayed in that position for 20 seconds. However, when he decided to climb back up, one of the officers grabbed his back and got him to safety. This took place at 4:22 p.m., one hour after cops arrived at the scene.
A Dangerous Stunt
The incident was commented on social media as the news broke. While some sympathized with the man's possible declining state of mind and even the cops' heroical save, some others criticized the actions of the unnamed individual, putting the lives of the officers in danger unnecessarily.
"Even with the middle finger, they saved a life. True heroes wear blue," one user wrote on X. "He looks like he needs help immediately, hopefully he'll keep a low profile in the future," another user wrote.
"Witnessed a man threatening to take his life on top of the Brooklyn Bridge today," a third user wrote, in a much lighter tone. "Thanks to God and law enforcement for getting him down from there. A reminder to be kind and gentle to one another. People are fighting invisible battles we know nothing about. Praying for him."
According to the New York Post, authorities transported the jumper to Bellevue Hospital to undergo a psychological evaluation. He has not been charged at the moment.
