Bear Mt. Bridge - Jumper down 2/22

[Guest]

Truck4, was this a stunt by the Point Cadet or a suicide attempt ??

[JBE 328]

Regardless, I'm surprised the guy lived. That's quite a drop.

[Truck4 48]

The story was on the front page of today's Journal News as a suicide attempt.

[DMA327 12]

Lucky guy... Thats some fall!!!!

Alotta jumpers lately

[Guest x2371]

Depending on his injuries maybe not so lucky

[LCFD968 10]

Did he make it to shore himself? Could it really be a stunt? Unbelievable!!!

[Shantz02 0]

Apparently he hit the water and survived. Then he swam ashore and was spotted by a toll booth worker as he waved for help.

[Guest]

Truck4, thanks for the info, you're right it is being reported as a suicide attempt. Here's today's piece in Journal News:

But to me so far, "suicide attempt" remains an assumption....

[

b]West Point student survives leap off bridge

By TERRY CORCORAN

THE JOURNAL NEWS

(Original Publication: February 24, 2005)

State police are amazed that a 20-year-old West Point cadet who jumped from the Bear Mountain Bridge on Tuesday survived with minor injuries.

Cadet Charles W. Von Tagen was transferred yesterday from the medical ward at Westchester Medical Center to its behavioral ward, police said. He was taken to the hospital in Valhalla via STAT Flight helicopter around 2 p.m. Tuesday after a toll worker on the bridge spotted him standing on a train trestle near the west bank of the Hudson River.

Police said Von Tagen, a triathlete from Boise, Idaho, was jogging across the bridge when he stopped at midspan, removed his identification tags and running gear, then tried to kill himself. Amazingly, he survived the 160-foot fall and swam to the river's western shore, where the worker saw him waving his arms while screaming in pain.

"I've been here since Jan. 1, 1998, and this is the first time I'm aware that someone survived that jump," said state police Investigator Timothy Santiago. "My senior investigator has been here since 1980, and this is the only time anyone recalls someone surviving that jump. His only injuries are hypothermia and a minor contusion."

Lt. Kent Cassella, a spokesman for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, could only confirm yesterday that a cadet jumped from the bridge, swam to shore and was taken to the hospital. He said regulations prevented him from identifying the cadet.

Santiago said police did not want anyone to imitate what Von Tagen did because they are not likely to survive.

"Police don't recommend that anyone try this as a stunt," he said. "After (Von Tagen) survived, I think he realized what had happened and wanted to live."

[LCFD968 10]

UN"FREAK'EN"BELIEVABLE!!!!!

[LCFD994 8]

whats unbelievable is that the first time in 15 years I cross the Bear Moutain Bridge, I must of missed him by minutes...whether thats good or bad I dont know..

[Guest]

I know West Point must be extremely stressful, but they got to be more on the lookout for suicidal students. I'm somewhat surprised that doesn't happen more often over there.....thank God it doesn't..........

[Guest x2371]

Jumper off of the Tappan Zee Bridge dies a couple of weeks ago and this guy lives would ofhought your odds would go the other way

[BFD1054 1,552]

I was actually listening to this incident (somewhat) on the radio. Peekskill EMS, Cortlandt ALS & Continental Village were initially dispatched. Then they were getting conflicting reports, so Garrison was dispatched as well. Then i finally heard some talk that it may be on the Orange/Rockland side, so Highlands was dispatched. At first it sounded like it was a person who fell from the lookout or something, not a jumper. I remember awhile back when a woman was trying to take pictures at the lookout & got too close to the edge. She slipped & fell down to the train-tracks. She was airlifted, but i don't believe she made it.

I'm sure most of you remember a few years back when an off-duty fireman witnessed a female jump off of the TZ Bridge & decided to jump after her. The female jumper survived, the fireman unfortunately did not. Simply amazing how things work out!

When i finally heard the facts surrounding this story, i couldn't believe it. First off, how he survived is a miracle, but to be able to swim to shore in the frigid water, fighting the currents & with internal injuries...just amazing! I hope this young man has a second thought on life, because he certainly got a second chance at it! As many of you have said, West Point is a highly competitive school & i'm sure there is tremendous stress on the students. Who knows what else was going on in his life, but to be a West Point cadet was probably enough stress. Lets just hope that he can recover and get some help to get through whatever problems he was having. I would hope the school would step up to the plate and offer some serious counseling now. Not just to this cadet involved, but to all cadets.

[COMMANDCHIEF 4]

BFD.. the FF did make it . But he was a victim and not a rescuer about half way down. He arrived and got a punctured lung and a few other injuries. Both survived the fall/jump. Remember don't be a victim!! Oh yea, on a side note. That Bear Mtn. Bridge has killed more Cadets than the wars.

[Guest]

That Bear Mtn. Bridge has killed more Cadets than the wars.

IS THAT SUPPOSE TO BE FUNNY!!!! GET REAL. [-X :-k

[x648eng119 2]

That Bear Mtn. Bridge has killed more Cadets than the wars.

IS THAT SUPPOSE TO BE FUNNY!!!! GET REAL. [-X :-k

Well...not since the Bush Administration

[BFD1054 1,552]

COMMANDCHIEF...Thank you, i had thought that the FF did not make it. Thank you for clearing that up. I'm sure he wondered what the hell he was thinking after he recovered though!