Ansonia EMS personnel, police officers and members of the public saved a woman who was threatening to jump off the Maple Street Bridge Friday afternoon.
The woman was not injured and was taken to a hospital to get help.
The Valley Indy won’t publish her name.
Ansonia Police Lt. Patrick Lynch said the department received several 911 calls from motorists about 11:45 a.m. saying a woman had climbed over the railing and looked like she was getting ready to jump.
Police and crews from Ansonia Medical and Rescue Services went to the bridge and found the woman standing on the opposite side of the railing, some 30 to 40 feet over the Naugatuck River.
The woman was in obvious distress, ranting and raving while perched on the edge of the bridge.
She screamed in Spanish and English about a problem she has with the local housing authority.
The river is shallow, and there were rocks awaiting her had she jumped.
“She would have been in pretty bad shape had she went over,” Lynch said.
The Maple Street bridge connects Olson Drive to Main Street.
Lynch said a citizen at the scene knew her. The citizen, a female, tried to talk the woman down, as did EMS and police. But the woman was not in her right mind.
As the citizen talked to the distraught woman, ARMS Chief Jared Heon grabbed her, as did ARMS Assistant Chief Ryan Hunt, with assistance from police Officer Jacquelyn Troesser, Sgt. Jennifer Giusto, and Officer Michael Castillo.
Lynch said off duty Stratford police officer Amanda Burden and Ansonia firefighter Edward Sharkey helped as well.
“They were able to talk to her long enough to distract her, and they were able to get her back over the bridge. She’s being taken to a hospital now for psychiatric evaluation,” Lynch said.
Click here for information on suicide prevention.
The video below shows the moments immediately after she was pulled to safety:
