Two men died yesterday after both jumped from the George Washington Bridge seconds apart from each other in what officials believe were unrelated suicides.
The incidents happened around 4:20 p.m. on Wednesday; one person jumped from the upper level while another jumped from the span's lower level. "They were both literally within seconds of each other," Port Authority Police spokesman Joe Pentangelo said in a statement. "They were unrelated apparently."
Both men were in Manhattan-bound lanes. The man on the upper level had ridden a bike, and the man on the lower level had abandoned his Toyota Sienna minivan below. Both of the bodies were recovered in the Hudson River; both men left suicide notes. Neither man's identity has been released.
The Post adds that the man who drove onto the lower part of the bridge may have been the same one who was rescued by a cop when he tried to jump off the bridge last month. "I wasn’t going to let him go — I wasn’t going to let him die while I was out there," Police Officer Jesse Turano said at the time.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone; remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt; and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
