‘She offered to take our hand’: Officers reflect on talking woman off Sugar Creek Bridge

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) - Two Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officers said they were able to prevent a woman from jumping off of the Sugar Creek Bridge earlier this month.

Traffic cameras captured the moment officers Erik Henry and Cameron Rider approached the woman who was standing on the Sugar Creek Bridge.

Related: First responders safely remove someone off Sugar Creek Bridge

“As soon as my partner got on scene, he started communicating with other officers trying to get everything settled down so that we could just really focus on her,” Henry said.

Henry and Rider said they’ve been part of the North Tryon Divison for two years, and within those two years, they’ve helped to safely remove two people from jumping off of the Sugar Creek Bridge.

Rider says it’s not all about what they say to people in these situations, but how they listen.

“It’s a lot of listening is really what it is - listening to them and their problems and hearing them out. When we offered our hand, she offered to take our hand so we could get her off the side of the bridge,” said Rider.

Henry added it took about 20 minutes to help de-escalate the situation. Both officers said it feels good to know they helped someone during a difficult time.

“I’m definitely proud, but for me it’s ... I just view it as part of my job. You know, part of just being a good human being,” shared Henry.

“It’s a great feeling. I mean the relief you feel afterward, I guess to know that what you did worked. You can’t describe the feeling. It’s indescribable really,” said Rider.

Both Rider and Henry say they are still in touch with the first person they helped from the Sugar Creek Bridge months ago.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from a mental health crisis or simply needs someone to talk to, you can call 988 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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