“Miraculous” Brooklyn Bridge Jump

By on August 4, 2009 11:47 pm in Brooklyn Heights
Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

A distraught man kept police at bay for over 30 minutes last night as he threatened to jump from the Brooklyn Bridge.  The drama unfolded shortly after 10:30 p.m. with reports of a man, armed with a knife, threatening to commit suicide.  Police responded, and found the man clinging to the outside edge of the bridgework, west of the Brooklyn tower, along the Manhattan-bound lanes of traffic.

Cops from the Emergency Service Squad secured themselves to the bridge, and attempted to initiate conversation, as police and fire boats circled nearby.  The officers encountered difficulty communicating with the subject, as he could only speak Arabic.  An Arabic-speaking officer, assigned to the Transit Bureau, was located and hurried to the scene.

The distraught man, still apparently armed with the knife, was now clinging to the bridge by two fingers, and he plummeted to the water seconds later.

The Fireboat Kevin C. Kane of FDNY Marine Co. 6 and its crew sprang into action, pulling the man aboard.  One firefighter who entered the water had to be taken to Long Island College Hospital and treated for exposure.  Meanwhile, other firefighters helped pull the man to the area beneath the Brooklyn tower of the bridge, and then carried him to New Dock and Water Sts. to await an ambulance.

Through it all, the victim never lost consciousness.  One firefighter encouraged him by saying “hold on, buddy, you did it!  You survived the Brooklyn Bridge!”  A police official summed up the job by stating that the jumper was transported to Lutheran Medical Center, “miraculously with minor injuries.”

Photo by Marc Hermann/BHB

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  • alex

    Sad. But do we really need the picture? The poor man deserves some privacy.

  • LiFe

    yes that is such a sadstory. whats crazy is that i was on the brooklyn bridge heading to brooklyn when that was going on. me and my partner looked at one another and said i think someone is trying to jump. not knowing that was really the case. as for the pic, it just goes to show that this is reality. the man looks young and honestly if he wanted privacy he would have did this in the “privacy” of his home.

  • David on Middagh

    Yes, many times have I jumped from the Brooklyn Bridge in the privacy of my livingroom.

  • privacy?

    Privacy? What? It is truly sad that this man is so deeply disturbed that he tried to take his own life. He deserves treatment for whatever plagues his mind. But he does not deserve privacy when he makes a spectacle of himself by hanging off the side of the brooklyn bridge. That is a highly newsworthy, attention-grabbing occurence in a city full of reporters and photo journalists. Additionally, that photo is not just about him… it is about the heros who tried to stop him from jumping and ultimately had to fish him out of the east river and give him medical treatment. It is a great photo!

  • alex

    The first photo is great. The second photo, in my opinion, is inappropriate. Yes, he made a public display, but it was a moment of crisis. I think different rules apply — or should apply.

  • bornhere

    Alex — My feeling is that specific events, for good or for bad, involve specific people, and documenting a moment in time is not random or generic. I look at magnificent and gritty pictures from decades ago — as people in years to come will look at today’s pictures — and being able to see faces and expressions makes the moments real. Arguing about a violation of privacy, I think, is one of those reactions that sounds almost sensible but then breaks down: just think of the pictures you see of disasters, concerts, man-on-the-street shots, tragedies, accidents, etc, etc — do you really think privacy is being violated? What privacy? Plus, from a different point of view, I think the somewhat “neutral” expression of the rescued man that is (barely) visible in the second picture serves as a stunning foil to the expressions of some of those who saved him. Photojournalism is too valuable too bemoan an odd sense of the loss of privacy. And — the Brooklyn Bridge is an extraordinarily public place: had this man’s privacy been respected, no one would have alerted NYPD/FDNY that someone needed help.

  • http://queenoftheclick.com Queen of the Click

    When you jump on your sofa in your home, you have privacy.

    When you attempt to jump from my bridge, your privacy is no longer a concern and rather I would think we would all be concerned about the safety of the firemen, police and EMS workers who had to put their safety in jeopardy.

    Hopefully this man gets the help he needs and the next time he sees my bridge, he keeps walking or riding over it.

  • —

    Um Queen, while the emergency workers did their jobs superbly (as they always seem to), nothing about this situation suggests they were ever in any danger.

    It’s fine to acknowledge a job well done, but pointless to invent hazards where there are none.

  • mhon

    I totally agree with bornhere. Especially the last sentence!

  • Alex

    Welcome to the 21st century. Helmets come in many sizes, I suggest you purchase one.

  • bornhere

    –
    Did you read the accompanying piece? Do you really think that dealing with a distressed person who is possibly armed with a knife and is threatening to jump from a structure above a river is kind of like just sittin’ around, having a glass of wine? The human element, alone, is life-threatening. Really.

  • weegee

    Not to mention the firefighter who had to jump into the water after the guy and helped carry him to land before himself having to be taken to the hospital for treatment. More than invented hazards here.

  • TheGreatGonzo

    Hey Queen, what do you mean “my bridge?” Did you buy it?

  • nabeguy

    Seen the news lately? There’s a pandemic out there of people who have chosen to end their lives in a final 20-point-headline splash of glory. This guy is lucky enough to actually see his picture in the paper and, hopefully, get the treatment that he needs to deal with his problems. To their credit, his rescuers were doing their job and then some.