An NYPD cop broke down in tears after helping talk a suicidal man down from a Manhattan overpass in a rarely seen raw moment captured on police bodycam.
The harrowing clip, posted by the department on X Wednesday, shows officers Carl Fayette and Eleodoro Mata calmly reassuring the man as he stands on the edge of the raised Riverside Drive highway in Manhattanville on Oct. 5.
“I’ve been in your shoes, man. It’s not worth it,” Fayette tells the man as he stands outside a fence on the edge of the overpass. “I’ve been in your shoes, brother, and there are solutions. There is a way to ensure you get out of this situation.”
The cops talked to the man for nearly 40 minutes until Emergency Service officers were able to rescue him, according to the NYPD which noted its officers “frequently interact with people having the worst day of their lives.”
During the police response, Fayette tells the man the city has resources available to help him with whatever he’s going through, according to the bodycam footage.
“I believe that you’re a good man. You’re a good man and I promise you, brother, I promise you, we will do anything in our power to help you,” Fayette pleads. “Please listen to me.”
He promises that they will do their best to help the man, whose face is blurred in the video to protect his privacy.
“I care about you and I care about your life,” the cop says.
His partner chimes in to offer the man support as well.
“Let us help you. There’s plenty of resources out here for you,” Mata adds. “We’re here for you, everybody’s here for you. We’re gonna help you. You are stronger than this like Carl told you many times. You are. You can defeat this with our help. Just come back brother, come back.”
Fayette asks the struggling New Yorker to give him a chance.
“I love you, brother. I care for you, brother. You have my shoulder, brother. Lean on my shoulder, brother,” he reassures the man. “I promise you you’re my friend. I promise you that we will be fighting together. I promise you that we will give you the services that you need. I love you, brother. Just listen to my voice. You got this brother.”
The man folds over, bending forward while still grabbing onto the fence behind him, the footage shows.
“Life is beautiful. The sun is beautiful. You are beautiful, man,” Fayette tells him. “Please don’t give up on me brother.”
Police Officers Fayette and Mata responded to a suicidal male who wanted to jump from an overpass.
They spoke to the man with genuine empathy to let him know they cared and that help was available, & with the assistance of our @NYPDSpecialops, they got him help.
Amazing work! pic.twitter.com/6Gw0PsAEX5
As Fayette continues lending his support, two officers with the Emergency Services Unit who had been making their way over the fence pounce and grab a hold of the man in crisis.
They bring him to safety, while Fayette — no longer able to contain his emotions — rushes away to a nearby parked police vehicle.
He crouches down and sobs as he rubs his eyes, his body camera video shows.
Two other officers come over to comfort Fayette as he continues to cry over the emotional encounter.
One of the cops tells him he did “an amazing job,” as he pats his shoulders.
The officers’ captain also commended the men.
“They spoke to the man with genuine empathy to let him know they cared and that help was available, & with the assistance of our [NYPD Special Ops], they got him help,” Captain Jose Taveras, commanding officer of the 26th Precinct, said in a statement.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.
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