Four days before New Year’s Day, a 32-year-old man jumped from the Bear Mountain Bridge. His death marked the fifth suicide at the bridge in 2024.
New York State Police say that on Dec. 28, at about 11:12 a.m., troopers out of the Haverstraw barracks responded to a report of someone jumping off the Bear Mountain Bridge and into the Hudson River.
The man could reportedly be seen treading water for a few minutes before disappearing under the surface. Later in the day the State Police Underwater Recovery Team found the victim deceased in the Hudson River.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the victim, whose name was not released out of respect to his family, parked on the eastbound side of the Bear Mountain Bridge and subsequently jumped off the bridge.
Suicides at the bridge increased from four in 2023 to five in 2024, while Emotionally Distressed Persons (EDPs) increased from one in 2023 to five in 2024. The New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) stated that EDPs include attempts and any incident that resolves with an individual being transported by law enforcement or an ambulance following emergency response.
In a statement to the Peekskill Herald, the New York State Bridge Authority said they strive “to keep the crossings under its jurisdiction as safe as possible for the traveling public. As has always been the case, in terms of suicide prevention, we continue to evaluate all options, including barriers, as our operations, maintenance, and fiscal responsibilities allow.”
Bear Mountain Bridge is one of five vehicular bridges operated by the NYSBA, others being Newburgh-Beacon (NBB), Mid-Hudson (MHB), Kingston-Rhinecliff (KRB) and Rip Van Winkle (RVW) Bridges.
While two bridges did not have suicides in the past year (Rip Van Winkle and Mid-Hudson), the total amount of suicides across the five bridges increased to 11 in 2024 from eight in 2023. The total amount of EDPs decreased to 38 in 2024 from 47 in 2023.
The illustrations above and below compare the number of suicides across New York State Bridge Authority operated facilities in 2023 and 2024. These bridges include Rip Van Winkle Bridge (RVW), Kingston-Rhinecliff (KRB), Mid-Hudson (MHB), Newburgh-Beacon (NBB), and Bear Mountain Bridge (BMB).
State Sen. Pete Harckham introduced a bill in the senate in 2021 that would mandate the installation of climb-deterrent fencing on those five bridges operated by the Bridge Authority. The bill passed the senate last year, but failed to pass in the assembly.
“This latest tragedy strengthens our resolve to get barriers on the bridge as soon as possible,” Harckham stated to the Herald on Jan. 3. “While we will continue to use all tools available, including possible legislative remedies, the Bridge Authority has been acting in good faith to move the process forward by preparing the public outreach plan to engage the public on possible design options.”
Harckham has not yet reintroduced the barrier bridge bill for 2025. The prime sponsor of the assembly version of the bill, Aileen Gunther, retired from the assembly last year, leaving the door open for a new assembly member to sponsor the bill. Assemblywoman Dana Levenberg (AD 95) previously co-sponsored the bill and said to the Herald on Jan. 3 that she would like to be a prime sponsor for the bill or a co-sponsor with Assemblyman Chris Eachus who represents the other side of the bridge in District 99.
“We know how important it is,” Levenberg said. “We know that it saves lives and it’s just so tragic when we hear about people taking their life on the bridge. So we have to do better.”
A mom’s tragedy leads to advocacy
One advocate of barriers is Lorraine Lein, who lost her 17-year-old son, Jake, after he jumped from Bear Mountain Bridge in 2023. A 7-minute documentary describing that day was created by Marist College students Erin Holton, Facundo Martinez, and Sofia Milojevic in association with The Highlands Current, a Putnam County newsweekly.
Suicide prevention measures by the Bridge Authority
The New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) said they are actively evaluating deterrent fencing and other measures, particularly at the Bear Mountain Bridge.
Last September, the Bridge Authority presented designs for the deck replacement of the 100-year-old Bear Mountain Bridge. Contractor Thomas Tomasetti will be creating plans, including options for deterrent fencing alternatives.
Outreach to the public on the overall deck design will begin in the coming months, with a final design to be chosen later this year, NYSBA stated. They anticipate to put the project out to bid in winter 2025-2026.
In 2022, the Bridge Authority conducted an engineering climb-deterrent fencing study to examine costs of retrofitting all six of NYSBA’s vehicular spans with climb-deterrent fencing, including Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, which has dual spans.
Engineering consultant Modjeski and Masters updated the study last summer, showing estimates for materials across the five bridges from 2022 and 2024. The types of materials included chain link, mesh fence (netting), horizontal wire, and picket fence. The highest 2024 estimated material was picket fence at $122.2 million and the lowest was chain link at $21.5 million.
The Bridge Authority has implemented a range of measures to support suicide prevention at their bridges over the years.
In 1984, NYSBA’s Mid-Hudson Bridge was the first bridge in the U.S. to install helpline phones. They are present on all bridges, with messaging about the 988 helpline on signage and on variable message boards across facilities.
Other deterrent measures include a command center providing 24/7 remote security of their bridges to allow staff to observe and quickly coordinate with first responders, and a security technician department to provide an on-the-ground presence at facilities.
“They conduct regular sidewalk tours at the facilities to assess pedestrian activity for signs of distress or suspicious activity,” NYSBA stated. “Security staff receive training in physical monitoring techniques and are equipped to respond quickly to incidents.”
Staff members and security staff receive training in safeTALK, ASIST, Mental Health First Aid de-esclation techniques and suicide prevention, and regular drills and incident debriefs to ensure preparedness and continuous improvement.
Employees are also offered an Employee Assistance Program, Critical Incident Stress Management support, and access to mobile crisis teams. Managers provide one-on-one support to employees who have experienced traumatic events, with mental health days also provided to employees in need after responding to a traumatic incident.
