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BY ALICIA CRUZ
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
An unidentified man abandoned his car in the westbound lane near the New Jersey Tower on the George Washington Bridge at 8 a.m., Wednesday morning, the anniversary of Tyler Clementi's suicide, and plunged to his death.
A Port Authority spokesperson confirmed that a Harbor Unit from the New York City Police Department recovered the body from the water near 155th Street in Manhattan after a 45-minute search. Witnesses say the man drove his vehicle midway across the span, then climbed over the railing and jumped. His car remained on the bridge, surrounded by police cars, as the investigation continued. The accident forced the closure of the westbound lane, NorthJersey.com reported.
Several times a year, distraught individuals choose to end their lives aboard the 4,760-foot long bridge, which crosses the Hudson River connecting Fort Lee to the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. According to NYMag.com, the George Washington Bridge sees approximately 10 suicides per year.
In 2009, Adrian Rawn miraculously survived a 212-foot dive from the more than 70-year-old bridge to the surprise of many. The 28-year-old former Naval Academy water-polo star then swam to New Jersey where he was plucked from the freezing waters by Fort Lee church deacon Gi Yeon Rheem, the New York Post reported.
One of the more notable George Washington Bridge suicides in 2010 later served as a catalyst to the anti-cyber-bullying/harassment movement in light of several suicides among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender teens.On September 21, 2010, Tyler Clementi, a freshman at Rutgers University, jumped to his death from the bridge after his unscrupulous roommate, Dharum Ravi, allegedly used a webcam to surreptitiously broadcast Clementi's intimate encounter with another male. In April, a Middlesex County grand jury indicted Ravi on 15 counts, including bias intimidation, invasion of privacy, witness tampering, and evidence tampering.
In a 2010 USA Today article, NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said his officers responded to more than 640 reports of people either jumping or threatening to jump from buildings or bridges, a twenty-seven percent increase from 2009.
Hoping to serve as a deterrent to someone contemplating suicide, a number of telephones along with signs that read, "Need Help?" have been posted along the sprawling bridge. While many applaud the effort, the National Suicide Prevention project director, Dr. John Draper says he would prefer to see a concrete barrier erected in place of the pedestrian path and low railing, which make it very easy for someone to fall or jump.
