Firefighter talks down Skyway jumper

A Jeep at the Sunshine Skyway Bridge’s highest point looked abandoned, but firefighters quickly learned it certainly was occupied when a man with a rope tied around his neck jumped out and onto the ledge of the bridge, and put a knife to his neck.

The 44-year-old man told St. Petersburg Fire Rescue firefighters and paramedics not to come closer and that he planned to jump, setting off a standoff Tuesday that closed southbound lanes and snarled traffic on the bridge for miles.

“It was definitely one of those situations that appears routine at first, but did not end up that way,” said firefighter and paramedic Seth Jacobson.

Events leading up to the standoff began with a 1:20 p.m. alert call advising of a vehicle stopped at the apex of the bridge, not uncommon at a site with a dubious reputation for suicide jumpers.

When Jacobson and his crew arrived, a Jeep appeared to be abandoned. But procedure required firefighters to walk up to the vehicle for a check, then if the vehicle is indeed empty, a search of the water below is ordered.

But 15 feet from the Jeep, as firefighters weathered heavy winds walking to the vehicle, they spotted the shadow of man in the passenger seat. The man in the Jeep saw them, too.

“He suddenly jumped out and onto the ledge of the bridge, sitting with both his feet dangling off. He was so unsteady as the wind had him teetering,” Jacobson said.

The man also had a knife to his neck, and rope around his neck with the other end tied to a roll bar inside the Jeep.

“He was serious,” Jacobson said.

With the southbound lanes of the bridge closed, and the wind whipping and making it difficult to hear, the firefighters began trying to talk the man down. For 30 to 40 minutes, the man talked about how bad his life had become, how someone in his family had caused his pain, Jacobson said.

“It felt like six hours, but we started to gain his trust,” said Jacobson.

The man finally blurted out a statement to which Jacobson responded that seemed to turn the tide of the dangerous situation.

“He shouted something like, ‘You don’t know the beast inside me!’ I just said back, ‘I have the beast in me, too, we all do.’ When I said that, it seemed like he pulled the knife off his neck some,” Jacobson said.

After firefighters promised to bring a loved one to the scene the man said he wanted there, he put one foot back over the ledge, then a second. He then stepped back onto the bridge and faced the firefighters.

That gave a Florida Highway Patrol trooper the chance to hit the man with a Taser from behind, grab the knife and take him into custody.

The man’s name was not released, but a relieved Jacobson said he had mentioned being from St. Petersburg.

“I have been doing this for 25 years, so there is nothing that really scares me,” said Jacobson. “But this did ratchet up. I am just glad it’s over, especially since it ended well. I just hope the guy gets the help he needs.”

This story was originally published November 11, 2009 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Firefighter talks down Skyway jumper."