NYPD Cop Helps Talk Down Suicidal Man From Verrazano Bridge

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- An NYPD officer is being credited for helping to save the life of a suicidal man who was threatening to jump from the Verrazano Bridge.

Around 12:30 p.m. Monday, police got a call that a man had parked his car on the bridge, got out and stepped over the railing.

1010 WINS' Juliet Papa reports

When cops arrived, they found the man standing on the outer edge of the upper level about mid-way across the bridge threatening to jump, police said.

As police tried to talk the man down, they discovered he only spoke Cantonese. That's when they called in Officer Yi Huang to speak with the man and a bond was formed.

"I could detect from him that he had a slight accent, that he happened to be from where my parents' village was," Huang told 1010 WINS' Juliet Papa.

Talking to the man from 10 to 15 feet away, Huang found out that the man was worried about his finances and was also upset over arguments he had been having with his 18-year-old daughter.

"His daughter was American born. I came here when I was 4, so I'm pretty much Americanized. There's always conflicts and issues there," Huang said. "I went through it also with my parents and tried telling him there's hope in the end. I have a perfectly healthy relationship with my family, so there's hope."

After four hours of negotiating as wind, rain and lightning started to move in, the man finally allowed officers to pull him to safety.

A humble Huang said he was just the translator and that the rescue was a team effort.

The man was taken to the hospital in good condition.

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