A gutsy cop who, during a harrowing high-wire act, talked a woman out of jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge was only a week removed from the NYPD Emergency Service Unit training school when he made the daring save.
Dramatic body camera video captured the breathtaking moment ESU Officer Christian Yepes scaled a narrow bridge cable high above the East River last week for a calm conversation that kept the would-be jumper alive.
“I just tried to establish that rapport, make sure she’s OK, try to figure out what’s going on up there and what’s going through her head,” Yepes said Tuesday. “Just try to see if I can help her in any way. I was telling her that she mattered, that I cared, that I genuinely cared.”
Yepes and his partner, 13-year ESU veteran Det. Eric Miller, were responding to a report of a potential jumper on the iconic bridge as the sun began to set in the sky July 8.
Yepes said his still-fresh training kicked in and that he didn’t give the elevation, the wind or the water a second thought once he secured his tether to the bridge.
“Once I clip in, I know I’m secure, and everything else is just me and her,” Yepes said.
Yepes looked as calm as a pedestrian walking his dog in the park as he approached the woman sitting side-saddle on the arching cable as shocked pedestrians, motorists and tourists looked on from below.
“My name is Chris. What’s your name?” Yepes said by way of introduction, as he slowly made his way to the troubled woman.
Behind, below and above him in a helicopter, other officers stood at the ready, keeping cars and crowds at bay.
“What’s happening today?” Yepes told her. “I just want to talk. I want to help you. That’s why I’m up here right now.”
It took about an hour, and the sun was nearly out of the sky, when officers were finally able to surround the woman and secure her before guiding her off the bridge. But Yepes said he was not about to rush it.
“I wanted to make sure that she felt comfortable, that she understands that she can trust us, that I’m not just there because it’s my job,” Yepes said.
“I’m there because I do want to help and it’s the same with everyone else who was up there. It’s not just me. From the guys up in the air, the helicopter, the Technical Assistance Response Unit, harbor patrol, the guys behind me on the bridge making sure everybody’s safe. I wanted to make sure she understands that everyone’s there to help her.”
Praise quickly poured in from every corner of the city, from his high-flying partner to a proud police commissioner.
“The care, courage, and compassion these officers showed was just extraordinary,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said on social media.
Miller, Yepes’ partner, had a perfect view — of the city and the daring rescue.
“He did a phenomenal job,” Miller said Tuesday of his partner. “I didn’t have to do much. I didn’t realize he had that little time in ESU, but he stepped up to the plate.”
Yepes said he hopes the rescue helps people see the police in a more positive light.
“Everybody thinks that since we’re the police, we don’t care and it’s just our job,” Yepes saId. “But it’s not. We genuinely care and we care for people’s safety. Whether you’re up on a bridge or just walking on the sidewalk, we do care.”