A good Samaritan climbed across a girder to talk a suicidal straphanger out of jumping at an East Village subway station Saturday.
The man followed the troubled young woman about 10 feet out onto the beam about 20 feet above the platform and sat with her, trying to calm her down at the Broadway-Lafayette subway station at about 3:30 p.m.
“The only thing I overheard was the young girl saying nobody cares about her,” said Michal Klein, of Hoboken, N.J., who had just come off of a downtown D train and was headed to a burger joint.
Other subway riders crowded around and watched the drama unfold as the man gently talked to her.
EXCLUSIVE: Cops talk man out of killing himself at Tribeca hotel
Witnesses told Klein, 38, that the woman climbed over a railing and crawled along the girder above the tracks. The man followed her the same way.
A man followed a woman about 10 feet out onto the beam over the Broadway-Lafayette train platform and sat with her to calm her down on Saturday afternoon. (Michal Klein via Twitter)
“It was just like a random person who went over to keep her calm,” Klein said.
Cops soon arrived and moved people away from the scene. At about 4:20 p.m., they escorted the distressed young woman from the station and brought her to an ambulance.
“I just hope that she gets help,” Klein said.
Pigglepoo on August 27th, 2017 at 15:16 UTC »
Years ago I randomly texted a friend one night. I hadn't talked to him in a while and it was just a "Hey, thinking of you, hope everything is good in your life" type of text. He told me years later that when he got that text he had been cleaning his gun, about to put it in his mouth and kill himself. I guess my point is you never know when some small gesture of kindness will have an impact on someone who is struggling. Let people know you care about them!
apieceofloam on August 27th, 2017 at 14:28 UTC »
I wonder if people who have saved a life in this manner usually stay connected, in some way, to that person they've saved. That is a very intimate experience between strangers.
TapSackman on August 27th, 2017 at 13:52 UTC »
I bet a lot of people have dissuaded someone from committing suicide by the most insignificant kind gesture. It's a good reason to be kind to everyone you interact with.