Woman Talked Down From Tappan Zee Bridge

A Bronx woman was talked down from jumping off the Tappan Zee Bridge by a state trooper Monday night.

Around 9:30 pm, state Trooper James Foley was able to talk the woman out of jumping from the Tappan Zee Bridge after he found her in her car with her 2-year-old daughter, according to News 12 Westchester.  

Police received a tip after the woman called a friend saying she was planning to jump off the bridge. Foley located her vehicle near Exit 11 in Nyack, and relocated the woman to a hospital after speaking with her. Her daughter has since been turned over to her father.

Only a year ago, on June 11, 2014, Foley came across a man who was standing by the rail of the Tappan Zee Bridge smoking a cigarette, contemplating jumping over as well. The state trooper received a call about a disabled vehicle, and just a few minutes after pulling up behind the man’s car, Foley was able to convince him to be escorted to Nyack Hospital without a fight.

At the time, Foley had been with the state police for more than 12 years, but five years earlier in 2009, he had to persuade a depressed woman in the parking lot of the Tarrytown barracks from jumping over the Tappan Zee. In just 20 minutes, Foley was able to convince the woman to seek medical attention.

“It was just a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” Foley told The Journal News, in regards to the 2014 incident. “A few minutes either way and it could have been a lot worse.” 

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