Navy aviator and nurse team up to stop a suicide on the Coronado bridge

Reporting from San Diego —  It was a life-or-death moment on the San Diego-Coronado Bridge when a Navy air crewman pulled over to stop a man from leaping into the bay.

As the two struggled, the 21-year-old screamed for someone to help. Dozens of motorists whizzed past, until a nurse stopped and calmed the man down until authorities arrived.

As Coronado police, paramedics and the California Highway Patrol took over, the sailor and the nurse were urged to get back in their cars and off the bridge. They didn’t have time to exchange names.

It took a social media forum to reunite them hours later.

The nurse, who couldn’t be reached for this article, posted a message to the unknown man on Reddit, an online bulletin board. She addressed her post to “the Navy dude who prevented a suicide on the Coronado bridge today.”

“I was the nurse who stopped. After the police came, I felt like we were [shooed] away. I regret that I didn’t get a chance to commend you for what you did today.” She described his lack of hesitation in trying to help another person, despite the potential risk to himself, as “extraordinary.”

“I want to be perfectly clear, you almost certainly saved someone’s life today. As a nurse and a human person, I’m really grateful that you were there to help.”

When the service member’s roommate saw her post and alerted the sailor, the mystery man sent a message back:

“That was me! Hey Nurse! I’ve been commending you all day! I had no idea what to say to this man except for holding him so he couldn’t do it. When you came I was so relieved you knew how to talk to him and calm him down. With all the adrenaline pumping, I was glad to have someone like you there. Thank you so much for stopping to help when so many people just drove on by!”

Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Pisano told the San Diego Union-Tribune that there was no way he was going to let the man jump.

“I made sure I had a good grasp on his arm so he couldn’t make his way closer to the ledge,” Pisano said. “He was making it very clear that he wanted to end his life, and I did what I could to make sure that didn’t happen.”

Coronado police spokeswoman Lea Corbin said a 911 caller reported that an elderly man was attempting suicide about 8:20 a.m. Monday. He had gotten out of his truck mid-span on the bridge, some 200 feet above the San Diego Bay.

According to the CHP, the 82-year-old was taken to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.

“I encourage anyone not to be a bystander,” Pisano said. “It’s really important when you see something that doesn’t look right to stand up and not keep going on with your life. Take a moment to understand the situation, and you might potentially save someone’s life.”

According to the county medical examiner’s office and other organizations that track suicides, the San Diego-Coronado Bridge has been the site of roughly 300 suicides since its opening in 1969. Fifteen people died in jumps from the bridge in 2015. There have been nine bridge suicides so far this year.

The deaths have spurred a group of residents to explore the feasibility of installing some kind of barrier, such as netting, on the bridge to deter jumpers. The Coronado Bridge Collaborative was formed to push for a study on what type of barrier would be effective.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com

Repard and Winkley write for the San Diego Union-Tribune.