‘I’m in jandals so I’m trying to get there as fast as I can as he makes his way over the edge.’
It was a routine day until Jesse Harrison saw a man climbing over a rail on the harbour bridge
A second was all it took for Jesse Harrison to sprint, in jandals, towards the railing of the Auckland Harbour Bridge during rush hour.
The 23-year-old was on his way home when he was among the first on the scene as a man left his vehicle running on the motorway and attempted to climb over the railing, intent on jumping off at the highest point,
43.3m, into the harbour. Harrison, a gym instructor, told the Weekend Herald how a mundane day took a terrifying turn.
He had been at work in the city on Thursday followed by a mixed martial arts class on the North Shore at 6pm.
It was on his way home about
7.30pm that he ran into a traffic jam on the bridge, which he assumed was caused by a crash.
But as he got closer to the centre of the bridge he noticed a car blocking the left-most lane.
A man began climbing over the rail that separates the road from the bridge edge.
Never having experienced such a situation before, Harrison said he just reacted on instinct.
“Basically, I [pulled over], hazards on, and hit the gas on foot.
“I’m in jandals so I’m trying to get there as fast as I can as he makes his way over the edge.”
The two exchanged words, Harrison urged him to consider his loved ones and all of the people he would leave behind.
The man said he had no family but Harrison assured him there was always something to live for.
By this point, other cars had begun arriving and two men, one a New Zealander, another English, came to his aid and grabbed the man.
Police confirmed they had begun receiving reports about concern for a person’s wellbeing about 7.30pm.
Despite Harrison being an amateur MMA fighter with 13 bouts under his belt, 10 of them wins, the battle to keep the man from reaching the bridge edge proved immense.
If only two people had been there to help, instead of three, it might have been a different story.
“I’m grateful those guys were there, too, because I wouldn’t be able to pull him back myself.”
The trio decided they needed to make a move in order to safely remove the man from the railing.
“We’re . . . talking like 10 minutes, trying to convince him to come back.”
On the count of three, they pulled him over the rail and “held him tight” until the police arrived.
Reflecting on the incident, he still didn’t know quite how to feel, he said.
It was another human being in crisis that brought three men, who were strangers, together. Harrison said he hoped the man was on the road to recovery and would be able to take some value from the experience.
After the incident, police took the man away. Harrison said a constable had since been in touch with him to check on his welfare.
With New Zealand having one of the highest rates of suicide in any developed country, Harrison wanted to share the story to raise awareness.
“If there’s anything to believe in, it’s that there’s always someone to help, no matter what circumstance you’re in.”
Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson said anyone who was feeling suicidal should remember they were not alone.
“I’ve been where you are, and I found a way through. Thousands of other New Zealanders feel suicidal every year and they recover and live great lives. But, right now, you need some help — and you deserve it.”
He urged anyone in crisis to seek help — and said anyone concerned about a friend or family member should talk to them.