PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) – A sleeping man was saved from rolling off a bridge in Philadelphia by a brave officer and a good Samaritan who grabbed his hoodie.
According to police, the man had been sleeping on the Broad Street overpass platform, which spans over the Schuylkill River, when he began to drift off the edge.
Officer Christine Dougherty, who was patrolling the area, noticed the man’s predicament and immediately rushed to the scene with her partner, Officer Cory Crawford.
As they were trying to get the man to safety, a Good Samaritan, who was passing by, saw the commotion and rushed to help. The good Samaritan, identified as 43-year-old Christopher Graham, grabbed the man’s hoodie and held on tightly as Officer Dougherty and Officer Crawford managed to pull the man back onto the platform.
“I was just walking down the street and I saw the police officer and I thought it was just a normal welfare check, and then I saw the man’s foot start to go over the edge, and I was like, ‘Oh no, I gotta get over there!'” Graham said.
Graham said he grabbed the man’s hoodie and held on for about five minutes until the officers were able to get the man safely back onto the platform.
The incident was captured on surveillance video and shows the dramatic scene.
Officer Dougherty and the good Samaritan are being hailed as heroes for their bravery and quick thinking in saving the man’s life. The man, whose identity has not been released, was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.