LAWRENCE — Police managed to talk down a man threatening to jump into the Merrimack River from the rail of the double-decker bridge on Interstate 495 southbound yesterday morning.
Officers were dispatched to the spot at 9:51 a.m. after receiving a 911 call from the man's son. The incident closed down the lower-level southbound lane for about 25 minutes, while traffic was allowed in the opposite direction.
"The river there is really shallow and the bridge is high up," Lawrence police Chief John Romero said. "If he decided to jump, it would have been bad."
The Salem, N.H., man was familiar to police. A family member told police this was the second time in two years that the man attempted jumping off a bridge.
Lawrence police officers flooded the scene, along with a state trooper and the Guardian Ambulance medical team.
"After several minutes of intense dialogue with (the man), Sgt. Joseph Cerullo put out his hand trying to convince him to grab it," according to police reports.
The man took Cerullo's hand and was pulled from the ledge. He was transported to Lawrence General Hospital for observation.
"He's going to get the help he needs," Romero said.
