What to Know
- Monday's leap was the fourth suicide at the bridge in two weeks, after only 12 in all of 2016
- The Port Authority has long-term plans to install permanent suicide-prevention fences but will begin building a temporary one this year
- If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255
A man jumped off the George Washington Bridge before dawn on Monday, marking the fourth apparent suicide from the span in two weeks after only 12 all of last year.
The Port Authority confirmed a man in his 30s climbed over a railing and jumped off the bridge just before 4 a.m. Monday. The NYPD responded, but as of 8 a.m. his body had not yet been found.
The agency has long-term plans to install permanent fences at the bridge to help prevent suicides, but said it would begin constructing a temporary fence in the coming months.
After 16 deaths in 2013 and 18 fatal jumps in 2014 and 2015, there were only a dozen suicides at the bridge in 2016.
Monday's death marks at least the sixth this year, most of which occurred in recent days.
A New Jersey teenager jumped to his death from the bridge on July 24; his body was found two days later.
Local
On July 26, a young woman from Brooklyn was reported to have jumped from the bridge; her body was found the next week.
On July 27, a middle-aged man lept to his death; his remains were recovered the same day.
If you are in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741.
