NEW YORK—New York Police Department officers rescued a woman who had climbed onto a beam above the roadway of the Brooklyn Bridge after an hours-long operation that temporarily shut down eastbound traffic, authorities said.
The incident unfolded Wednesday evening when emergency responders were called to the bridge after reports that a woman had climbed onto the bridge's steel structure. Police closed all eastbound lanes while members of the NYPD Emergency Service Unit secured the area and worked to reach her.
Video released by the NYPD showed officers, secured with safety straps, carefully making their way along the bridge's structure before speaking with the woman. Authorities said officers spent about an hour communicating with her before safely escorting her off the beam. She was identified by officials as a 31-year-old woman.
Body-camera footage released by the department captured officers attempting to reassure the woman throughout the rescue. In the recording, one officer tells her, "It's a permanent solution to a temporary problem," and urges her to accept help as emergency personnel continued negotiations.
Police said the woman was taken to Woodhull Hospital for evaluation following the rescue. Authorities have not publicly identified her, and no information has been released regarding possible charges or the circumstances that led her to climb onto the bridge.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch praised the officers' response in a public statement, saying the "care, courage, and compassion" demonstrated during the operation were extraordinary.
The rescue drew the attention of motorists and pedestrians as emergency crews worked high above the roadway. Eastbound traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge was diverted during the operation, causing significant congestion during the evening commute before all lanes reopened later that night, according to police and local media reports.
The Brooklyn Bridge, one of New York City's busiest crossings, has periodically been the site of emergency rescue operations requiring temporary traffic closures to allow police and other first responders to safely intervene.
As of Friday, the woman remained in medical care for evaluation, and the NYPD had not announced any further developments regarding the incident.
