Police Rescue Man Threatening To Jump From East Harlem Bridge

EAST HARLEM, NY — A man was rescued Sunday from the span of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge that connects East Harlem with Randall's Island, police said.

The 31-year-old man climbed one of the bridge's towers around 2:30 p.m. and threatened to jump into the water below, police said. Police from the NYPD Emergency Services Unit shut down traffic on the bridge and set up an airbag on the roadway as harbor units waited in the water, police said. Helicopters from the aviation unit also responded to the scene, police said.

As officers attempted to talk the man off the bridge, he tied a string around his neck and began to sit down on one of the bridge tower's catwalks, police said. The man lost consciousness and slumped over, prompting police offices to rush to the man's aid and pull him to safety, according to NYPD video of the rescue.

The man was lowered onto the bridge's roadway and handed over to EMS, police said. He was taken to Harlem Hospital in serious but stable condition, police said.

Watch NYPD video of the rescue below:

Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images News/Getty Images