“I was driving home after finishing work. I’m just happy to have helped stop a woman from taking her life,” said Police Officer Faivre. “I hope she’s getting the help she needs.”
Two NYPD police officers, both off duty, saved a woman who was attempting to take her life by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge. On Friday, March 17, Police Officer Robert Faivre, of the 84 Precinct, was on his way home after finishing his tour and was driving across the Brooklyn Bridge toward Manhattan. It was just after midnight when he noticed a woman stumble down from the foot path onto the roadway of the bridge. As he approached her while still in his vehicle, he asked the woman what she was doing. She replied, ” I am jumping.” He responded by saying, “No, don’t do it!”
Officer Faivre then exited his vehicle and while he tried to walk up to the woman, she began to move in the opposite direction. As she moved closer to the outer ledge of the bridge, he grabbed onto her prevented her from jumping. While this was happening, Police Officer Maureen Stefenelli, of the 76 Precinct Detective Squad, was also driving home across the Brooklyn Bridge after finishing work. She noticed two people struggling near the edge of the bridge and without second thought, she stopped her car and exited to further assess what was happening.
She immediately identified herself as a police officer and Officer Faivre responded that he too was a police officer and told her he needed her help. The two officers worked together to bring the despondent woman to safety and had her sit down on the pavement. During the entire time the two officers were engaging the woman in conversation seeking to get her to stop.
“While talking to the woman I tried to show her I genuinely wanted to help her, I wanted her to know I cared,” said Officer Faivre.
After the two officers were able to de-escalate the situation, Police Officer Faivre went to move his vehicle in order to put it in a position that would safely protect them from oncoming vehicles on the bridge roadway. As Officer Faivre did this, Officer Stefenelli continued to speak with the woman trying to calm her.
“The woman said she was all alone, that no one cared about her,” Officer Stefenelli said. “I told her we are the NYPD, that Officer Faivre and I were police officers, and that we cared.”
A passerby on the footpath called 911 and the two officers remained with the woman until patrol officers and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel arrived. After arriving on the scene, EMS brought the woman onto their ambulance and removed her to a local hospital.
