'Suicidal' Teen Planned To Jump From GWB Before Lifesaving Phone Call: Police

FORT LEE, N.J. — Port Authority police officers stopped a suicidal teen with a history of mental illness who allegedly planned to jump from the George Washington Bridge on Friday, police said.

According to the Port Authority of NY/NJ, while on duty at the bridge around 3:15 p.m., Lt. George Masouridis received a missing persons alert from the New York Police Department regarding a 17-year-old male from the Bronx with a "history of mental illness."

NYPD officers said that the teen posted a photo of the bridge on social media and also told family members that he planned to jump, authorities stated.

Masouridis began to search the area and was eventually able to connect with the teen on his cell phone and engage him in conversation, learning that he was on the corner of Center Avenue and Slocum Street in Fort Lee, authorities said.

Masouridis then relayed the teen's location to other Port Authority police officers, who managed to intercept the 17-year-old and take him into custody.

Emergency responders evaluated the teen and transported him to Bergen County Regional Medical Center for observation and possible treatment, authorities said.

• See related article: Cops Stop Potential Suicide At George Washington Bridge
• See related article: Man Jumps From GWB: 16th Suicide At The Bridge In 2015, Authorities Say

By Eric Keifer
Staff Writer

Photo: Wikimedia Commons