POUGHKEEPSIE – A state park employee and Poughkeepsie City police officers holding onto a man dangling off the Walkway Over the Hudson were the only reasons why he did not plunge into the water below on Monday.
Poughkeepsie City Police on Tuesday described how the suicidal man was saved from death as he climbed over the railing on the bridge.
As the Good Samaritans talked to the man, he held on to the railing and was leaning out over the river. They grabbed him through the railing to prevent him from jumping, but he stepped off the walkway and was dangling over the water.
The park worker and officers pulled him back up and secured him with ropes and straps and after talking to the man, he climbed over the railing with the assistance of the police and a firefighter.
The man was then transported to MidHudson Regional Hospital for evaluation.
Departments on the scene were Poughkeepsie city police and fire departments, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, Town of Lloyd Police, Arlington Fire Department and Mobile Life Support Services.
