Florida officer talks man out of jumping off bridge after nearly hour-long conversation

A Florida police officer is receiving praise after he helped prevent a man from jumping off a bridge by spending nearly an hour talking him through the crisis.

Body camera footage from an April 12 incident shows Officer Antonio Richardson speaking with a man standing on the edge of a bridge, preparing to jump. Richardson was one of seven patrol officers who responded to the scene and can be heard encouraging the man to reconsider his decision, saying, “Whatever you're going through, man, you can get through it.”

"Now listen, man. Listen. Listen. You can get through this," he pleaded. "Let's talk about it for a minute.… You believe in prayer, I know that.… Just touch my hand. Just touch my hand, man, I'm praying with you.”

For roughly 40 minutes, Richardson remained engaged in conversation with the man as he stood on the ledge above the water.

"If you jump, you're going to hurt other people. And they're going to be hurting just like you're hurting now.… The cycle's gotta stop,” Richardson told him.

After the long conversation, the man ultimately stepped away from the ledge, walked toward Richardson, and the two hugged.

Richardson later appeared on Fox News, where he recounted the situation, saying, "When I got the call… I was just there to stop the traffic. And then a couple of other officers who knew my position as a pastor asked me to come over and talk with the guy. … Nothing was scripted.… I did not want to see him jump.” 

"I just felt within myself that God was going to spare his life — and he did,” he explained. “I was praying. And God spared his life. And we connected. And as a result of that connection, he didn't jump."