Verrazano Bridge jumper stopped by off-duty NYPD officer

An off-duty NYPD officer on his way to work on Thursday night pulled over on the Verrazano Bridge and helped bring a man making an apparent suicide attempt to safety.

Shortly after 9 p.m. on Thursday, officer Craig Sikorski was headed toward Brooklyn on the lower deck of the bridge when he saw a Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority police car following a Chevy Cruz that slowed to a stop, authorities said.

A man carrying a bag with a 50-pound weight jumped from the car, ran to the side of the bridge and put one leg over the edge, police said. Sikorski and the TBTA officer exited their cars and began talking to him.

During the exchange, he pondered jumping, according to police, who described the man as “despondent.” As his attention was turned to the TBTA officer, Sikorski grabbed the man and pulled him away from the edge of the bridge.

The man was taken by authorities to Lutheran Hospital for evaluation, police added.