Police rescue woman who jumped into East River from pier in Brooklyn Bridge Park

February 5, 2024 Mary Frost

An orange flotation vest dropped by responders marks the spot where police rescued a woman who jumped into the East River in Brooklyn Bridge Park on Sunday. Photo courtesy of Brooklyn Heights resident Jennifer (she requested her last name not be used)

Share this:

BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK — A woman jumped off Pier 1 into the East River on Sunday afternoon, shocking onlookers who were out enjoying the sunny day in Brooklyn Bridge Park.

Police got the call at 2:28 p.m., according to an NYPD spokesperson. Responders rushed to the site and found the woman in the water within the old Pier 1 pilings, next to the park’s cordgrass salt marsh. Climbing down the jagged rocks, police entered the shallow but very cold (39 degrees Fahrenheit) water, grabbed the woman by the arms, and pulled her out. (A video clip posted to the Citizen website shows the beginning moments of the rescue.)

Saving the life of the woman wasn’t easy, according to Brooklyn Heights resident Jennifer (she requested her last name not be used), who witnessed the incident.

“I just saw a woman trying to kill herself get pulled out of the river. I’m shaken,” Jennifer told the Brooklyn Eagle.

Once the police got the woman out of the water, she put up an enormous fight, Jennifer said.

“She was screaming and fighting off the cops. Each cop had an arm or leg and the four of them carried her screaming to a stretcher.” She added, “Can’t unsee that.”

EMS transported the woman to Woodhull Hospital. She is likely to survive, according to the police report.

“I don’t think this woman is going to be fine — maybe physically. She did not want to be taken out of that water,” Jennifer said.

If you are feeling suicidal, help is available at 988, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call or text 988 to be connected with a trained crisis counselor.