Residents Ask What Was The Large NYPD Presence On Roosevelt Island This Morning Closing Portions Of Main Street? - Man Threatened To Jump Off Motorgate Garage Roof, Rescued By NYPD Emergency Services Unit

A tipster reported this morning at 8:30:

Main Street north of Post Office is closed. NYPD ESU. Motorgate is closed too. What's happening?

According to the Roosevelt Island Twitterverse:

What is happening on @Rooseveltisland right now?? Heavy police activity at Motorgate and Main Street closure even to pedestrians. pic.twitter.com/F2Sef4QKr8

— Alessandro Monetti (@AlexMonetti_) November 5, 2019

Image from Allesandro Monetti

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) sent out this advisory at 9:05 AM:

Due to Police Activity, Main Street from 2 River Road to 40 River Road and Motorgate Garage will be shut down until further notice. We apologize for this inconvenience.

The Roosevelt Island Twitterverse adds:

Someone is trying to jump pic.twitter.com/a77hJUn0Q1

— rosyrosie (@rosiewu) November 5, 2019

Image From rosyrosie

Correct....someone has threatened to jump. The yellow blow up jump pad is set up in the last photo.

— Chris Yonner (@YonnerNYC) November 5, 2019

The incident began shortly after 7 AM. At approximately 10 AM the NYPD Emergency Services Unit talked the man down.

UPDATE 5:30 PM - Roosevelt Island resident Frank Farance witnessed the incident. Mr Farance shares these photos and reports:

Thank God that the jumper was talked down, did not take his life, and accepted help.

NONE of the photos include the jumper. The jumper is on the other side (south-facing). The first photo is around 08:30-ish when NYPD ESU was still negotiated with the jumper.

The second photo is the air cushion that was quickly inflated.

The third photo is the last moments where officers are pleading and reaching out to the jumper.

Moments later (and not in photos), the negotiations appear to be successful as the officers have switched from Negotiation to Rescue: officers taking precautions to safely extract the jumper from the ledge.

I prayed several times for the jumper, my prayers were answered, and we were all very relieved for the jumper to have turned away from suicide.

Teenage Male Jumps From Queensboro Bridge Into East River Yesterday And Survives - Spotted By Roosevelt Island Dog Walker

The NY Post reported that an eighteen year old male jumped from the Queenboro Bridge into the East River between Queens and Roosevelt Island yesterday - and survived.

A teenager miraculously survived after jumping off the Queensboro Bridge, police said https://t.co/LnQ4fS9oOn

— New York Post (@nypost) May 31, 2018

The bridge jumper was spotted by a man walking dogs on Roosevelt Island. According to the NY Post:

...Cardozo, 33, was walking dogs on Roosevelt Island when he saw the man fall in the distance. He called 911 and signaled the passing ferry boat.

“The NYC ferry was coming from Brooklyn,” Cardozo recalled to the Post. “Not sure if they saw us or not, but they turned around and tried to save him.”...

Saw a guy jump off the Queensboro Bridge. When he fell he seemed unconscious but he woke up and tried to swim towards us (I was with my crew) and then he stopped suddenly and started to drown. I called 911 and signaled the NYC ferry to pick him up.

— Orlando NYC (@luisocardozo) May 31, 2018

Just saw a guy jump off the #queensborobridge !!! He is alive and all I know is that he is on his way to the hospital. pic.twitter.com/rYGjmTwJpj

— Orlando NYC (@luisocardozo) May 31, 2018

pic.twitter.com/V0C7L2jUJi

— Orlando NYC (@luisocardozo) June 1, 2018

The NY Post adds that the teenager was removed from the East River by a passing ferry, brought to Roosevelt Island, picked up by EMS and taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.

Man Dies Jumping From Queensboro Bridge Landing On Roosevelt Island Last Thursday Evening - Woman Nearby Hears Loud Noise, Turns Around And Sees Body On Ground

 Image Of Queensboro Bridge And Roosevelt Island Beneath Taken 8/11

A Roosevelt Island resident reported to me seeing NYPD officers and an ambulance gathered underneath the Queensboro Bridge next to a white sheet on the Main Street ground that may have been covering something last Friday evening.

I asked the NYPD what happened?

According to a NYPD Spokesperson the incident occurred:

... on Thursday, August 7, 2015, around 10:10 PM, a 39 year old male in an apparent suicide jumped off from the 59th Street bridge landing in front of 281 Main Street and died from the extent of his injuries.

adding that a woman was walking in the area at the time when she heard a loud noise, turned around and saw the body laying on the ground.

During Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Public Safety Committee meeting last night, Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Public Safety Director Jack McManus and Deputy Director Lynda Marmara described this terrible incident in greater detail and reported that the deceased was not a Roosevelt Island resident.



UPDATE 9:10 PM - A reader points out confusion regarding date of the incident. The NYPD spokesperson said the incident occurred on Thursday August 7. Thursday was August 6, Friday was August 7.

The incident occurred on Thursday August 6 and was reported that way on the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Report:

08/06/15 – 2208 - 281 Main St. – Aided – PSD / EMS / FDNY responded. Transported to hospital.

NYPD Emergency Services Unit Rescues Man Threatening To Jump From Queensboro Bridge Over Roosevelt Island Today

A Helicopter hovered low over Roosevelt Island

The helicopter already stayed still above #rooseveltisland subway station for 10mins. Any reason? @Rooseveltisland pic.twitter.com/XTrVZSkXIo
— Shaopeng He (@Shaopeng0426) August 12, 2014

earlier this afternoon and NYPD Boats were waiting close by in the East River

Nypd boats in east river by Roosevelt Island near Queenboro bridge. Helicopter above. pic.twitter.com/Riy0MvdJvA
— Roosevelt Islander (@Rooseveltisland) August 12, 2014

as the NYPD Emergency Services Unit worked to prevent a man jumping from the Queensboro Bridge.

Nypd deploys inflatable yellow pad on Roosevelt Island under Queensboro bridge as officers try to prevent man jumping pic.twitter.com/3A2hgdsbjC
— Roosevelt Islander (@Rooseveltisland) August 12, 2014

After a very tense two hours, the NYPD Emergency Service Unit Officers rescued the man and brought him to safety. Great job by NYPD.

Man Jumps From Roosevelt Island Into East River For A Swim - NYPD and FDNY Respond and Rescue

Image Of NYPD/FDNY Police Activity Underneath Queensboro Bridge Rescuing Man In East River

At approximately 2 PM this afternoon, there was a great deal of commotion near the Roosevelt Island Tram station underneath the Queensboro Bridge

Image Of NYPD/FDNY Police Activity Underneath Queensboro Bridge Rescuing Man In East River

on West Channel Road with NYPD and FDNY vehicles as well as NYPD harbor boat.

Image Of NYPD/FDNY Police Activity Underneath Queensboro Bridge Rescuing Man In East River

What was going on?

According to this Breaking 911 tweet:

#Manhattan *JUMPER DOWN* 59th Street Bridge - Male Jumped off the bridge into the East River & Landed on the Rocks #EMS #ESU #BREAKING #NYC

which was soon updated to:

#Manhattan *U/D JUMPER DOWN* 59th Street Bridge - #NYPD advising the victim may have jumped off Roosevelt Island & not bridge

RIOC issued this advisory describing the incident:

There was a brief traffic condition on Main Street due to a police investigation near the Tram.  As of this time traffic is back to normal.  

I spoke to NYPD and RIOC officials on scene who reported that a man did not jump off the Queensboro Bridge but jumped from Roosevelt Island into the East River for a swim. The man was rescued by NYPD and taken to the hospital.

Earlier this week, a person did jump from the Queensboro Bridge landing in Queensbridge Park.

UPDATE 2/29 - According to the 2/27 -28 Public Safety Report the man was rescued by Public Safety Officer:

Aided - Adj to the Tram. Male jumped into the River. PSD rescued him. EMS removed aided to the hospital.

Person Jumps From Queensboro Bridge This Afternoon - Lands In Queens Park, Not Roosevelt Island

Image of Queensboro Bridge and Queensbridge Park

There were reports earlier today of a person jumping from the Queensboro Bridge and landing on Roosevelt Island. According to this tweet from NY Scanner:

NYC: Jumper down from the 59 Street Bridge Jumper onto Roosevelt Island being transported in serious condition Crime scene being established

The person did not land on Roosevelt Island but in Queensbridge Park underneath the Queensboro Bridge.

UPDATE 2/24 - From the 2/23 -2/24 Roosevelt Island Public Safety Report:

Aided - NYPD 19th pct notified PSD of a jumper. The incident was in Queens and not on Roosevelt Island.

Possible Jumper From Queensboro Bridge Spotted By Roosevelt Island Public Safety Officer - NYPD Bring Him Down Uninjured

Image From Riverwalk Bar & Grill Owner Jonathan Hoo

According to the 9/16 - 9/17 Roosevelt Island Public Safety Report:

Aided - PSD officer observed possible jumper on the Queensboro Bridge. NYPD responded and removed the subject from the bridge. Aided was taken to the hospital for evaluation.

Image From Riverwalk Bar & Grill Owner Jonathan Hoo

Riverwalk Bar & Grill owner Jonathan Hoo sent in these riveting pictures yesterday of the man sitting on Queensboro Bridge railing and being talked down by NYPD officers. Mr. Hoo wrote:

Since the guy is ok and nothing happened, I am happy to share these with you.

UPDATE 2:15 PM -RIOC Director Jonathan Kalkin sent in this picture of Police Boat activity during the bridge incident.

Low Flying Helicopter Swooping Over Roosevelt Island and East River Yesterday Evening Looking For Reported Queensboro Bridge Jumper

Image From Jonathan Kalkin

Were you wondering early yesterday evening around 5:30 PM , why a helicopter was swooping extremely low over Roosevelt Island, barely making it over the Riverwalk Building and hovering over the East River followed by NYPD Harbor Boats patrolling the area?

It turns out that there were reports of a person jumping from the Queensboro Bridge into the East River at that time. From the 9/13 - /9/14 Roosevelt Island Public Safety Incident Report:

Investigation- Report of a person who may have jumped off of the 59th Street Bridge. PSD, NYPD, FDNY and Coast guard responded. A search was conducted with negative results.