Officer tackles man, preventing him from jumping off bridge

Riverdale Police Sergeant Greg Bogert responded to reports of a man walking in and out of traffic on I-287.

A policeman has saved the life of a suspected suicidal man by sprinting after and rugby tackling him before he could jump off a bridge.

Once there, he saw a man visibly upset and crying.

Thanks to Bogert’s split-second decision to tackle the distressed man, he is alive today, and so are the drivers below, who could have crashed if the man had jumped.

The dash cam video has been watched by millions, and Bogert said he’s reading all the positive comments on Facebook – including one from a woman whose family member committed suicide. “I was just trying to get his mind off that ledge”. By the time he was almost there, Bogert said, he knew it was likely a suicide attempt.

The man was subsequently taken into custody then to the hospital. Bogert said when they arrived he rolled down his window so he didn’t scare the guy. Police are looking for his family in Pennsyvlania.

Bogart told NBC 4 NY he did what his job has trained him for, though he added “it’s nice to see when people recognize it”.

Riverdale Police Department in Georgia in the US posted the video online, where the officer has received a lot of praise for his quick thinking.