Two nude individuals—a man and woman—jumped from the Tappan Zee Bridge and into the Hudson River this morning just before 9:15 a.m.
The woman, who police said was in her late 20s, perished after the jump and was pronounced dead at the scene. The man, who is in his 40s, lived. He has been transported to and is reportedly in critical condition.
State Police said the two were together and arrived on the bridge in the same car. Police also said both were naked when they jumped from the roof of a Chevy Tahoe.
The jump occurred in the south-bound lanes of the bridge, closer to the Westchester side of the span. The incident was first reported by contractors working on the bridge for the State of New York.
The contractor, Tutor Perini, had a boat in the water which picked up both individuals and shuttled them to the Rockland side of the water in Nyack.
Emergency rescuers from Tarrytown, Nyack and Piermont responded, along with County and State Police units.
The names of both individuals involved are being withheld pending notification of relatives.
This is the third incident this year involving jumpers from the bridge. The state has tried to prevent people from making attempts by installing distress phones, along the span, at a cost of more than $5 million.
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need manufacture (sorry)
I feel very sorry for the famlies of these two. They are the ones who will have to live the rest of their lives wondering why. For the two jumpers, I'm sorry to say, I don't feel much of anything. My reason being. I have seen to many people I know, young and old die of Illness. I have seen children not yet reach their teens die of cancer. I have had friends in the prime of their life die of cancer. I have seen friends killed by drunk drivers. All of them wanted to live. These two, for whatever reason decided to throw away one of the most precious gifts of all. Life. I will tell you about a friend of mine. He was forty six years old. Two kids ages 11 and 9. He was fighting a long illness which was comming to an end. There was an article he read in the paper about someone who jumped off the tapan zee bridge He told me he would trade all the problems this guy may of had for his illness any day of the week. . . He said, the jumper threw away what he was fighting for. life. He died a month later. His kids will never know him. Draw your own conclusions.
Usually if a suicide attempt is thwarted, with competent professional help, the individual often changes his/her outlook and goes on to live a productive life. All this to say that suicide prevention is worth the cost.
Karen, you're very right to talk about compassion. Not just for these two people or even for their friends and family who are now living with the aftermath, but for people who are in trouble, people who need help, people who are struggling. People, period. I find the lack of it in public discourse troubling and not worthy of our country.
Dorine - Nobody does not feel empathy for these troubled individuals. Certain people's points, if you read them completely, concerns the poor families of those who decide to take the easy way out of life and kill themselves and the emotional, financial, and quality of life impact on those who continue to live life. Millions of dollars spent on nets and callboxes will not stop people who are determined to end their life... Ultimately, it is sad someone was driven to this point, but my sadness goes out to the loved ones, families and friends who will be forced to deal with the loss, pain, guilt and confusion of such a sad and drastic act.