NY Times

A man who was dangling from the Brooklyn Bridge was pulled to safety by police officers Sunday afternoon as scores of people watched from the pedestrian walkway, from the street below and from cars on the bridge that had been halted during the rescue.

Daring Brooklyn Bridge Rescue Captured on Video

NY Times

A man who was dangling from the Brooklyn Bridge was pulled to safety by police officers Sunday afternoon as scores of people watched from the pedestrian walkway, from the street below and from cars on the bridge that had been halted during the rescue.

When the officers arrived, the man, wearing a gray shirt and dark pants, was holding on to a railing on the southeast end of the bridge near the ramp to Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. One foot was on a narrow ledge; the other hung in the air. Many feet below was an empty parking lot.

Dozens of police officers and firefighters, along with emergency vehicles, came onto the bridge and into the parking lot about 4:30 p.m. The man, whose identity was not immediately known, had both hands on the railing, but he was below eye level of the officers who had carefully approached him.

Two or three officers seemed to take his hands while other officers waited a few feet away. At one point, another officer went over the railing himself and began to approach the man from the ledge.

Under the bridge, on Old Fulton Street, people watched from the sidewalk, and others pulled over their cars and got out to watch. For several minutes, neither the officers nor the man changed position. Then, suddenly, the man either began to lose his grip or tried to wrench free of the officers.

On Old Fulton Street, there were shouts of “Oh, my God!” “No!” and “Pull him back!” As the man struggled, lurching backward, other officers raced up to the railing. Slowly, though, the officers hauled him up and over the railing.

Cheers rose from the bridge and Old Fulton Street. Within minutes, the emergency vehicles had left and traffic flowed again on a warm holiday weekend. A few pedestrians looked at photographs on each other’s cellphones and cameras before moving on.

It was not immediately known where the man was taken after the rescue.

8 Comments

  • To #1

    He obviously wasnt in a complete state of mind, I dont understand why you would ask that

  • Norcal

    The golden gate bridge in california would be a better place to jump from, at least theres views from all sides and a nicer bridge to jump..

  • Shameful

    To #6
    I dont think its appropriate in this situation to be sarcastic.
    I dont understand how you can joke about it.

  • human

    he was obviously struggling with the notion of suicide but was far from it. he sat, waited, not from a particularly high place, but did sned out a message by his action that he is despearate for attention and help. let’s hope he gets the right kind.