A man threatening to jump off the Verrazano Bridge was rescued after hours of negotiation and work by the NYPD's special operations unit Wednesday.
Officers were called to lower level of the bridge on the Staten Island-bound side at about 8:30 a.m.
Photos tweeted from the NYPD Special Ops account show a man in a white-shirt and shorts, wearing a backpack, clutching the rail of the bridge as he stood over the water.
NYPD's Emergency Service Unit officers stood close by, wearing helmets and rappel gear.
After hours of ESU negotiation, the man, who's in his early 30s, asked for cigarette, according to NYPD. Officers obliged and gave him one -- and that's when the man climbed back over.
The man let his backpack slide off his shoulders and fall over before coming over. It was filled with weights and rocks, police said.
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Sergeant John Jacoby says he and other officers took turns, trying to find common ground and broker trust. He says the man was worried he'd be arrested or harmed but eventually believed police and came back. He said the man didn't say specifically what prompted him to want to jump.
The man, who police say was emotionally disturbed, was taken to a local hospital.
The Verrazano suspension bridge connects Brooklyn to Staten Island.
