Man Dangling From Jefferson Street Bridge Talked Out Of Jumping

JOLIET, IL — The Joliet Fire Department and the Joliet Police Department responded to the Jefferson Street Bridge Monday evening to convince a despondent young man not to jump off the bridge into the Des Plaines River below. The incident unfolded over the course of more than an hour, tying up traffic along Jefferson Street. Firefighters said the call came in around 5:45 p.m.

According to a battalion fire chief, Joliet firefighters from Stations 1 and 5 and several police officers responded to the Jefferson Street bridge around 5:45 p.m. The bridge is near Bicentennial Park and Joliet's City Hall, off Des Plaines Street. Joliet Patch reader Randy Yeates was in the area and captured several photos of the dramatic rescue as it unfolded.

A fire battalion chief told Patch Monday night that the police officers eventually convinced the man not to jump from the ledge. The man was transported by ambulance to Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center to undergo psychiatric evaluation.

Joliet fire and rescue calls involving people deciding to drown themselves in the Des Plaines River tend to occur a few times every year.

In August, Joliet police officers responded to a rescue call involving an 81-year-old man who jumped off the Cass Street Bridge. That man was pulled from the river but died at the hospital as a result of drowning.

Images via Joliet Patch reader Randy Yeates