And then a hero comes along: How a police officer saved a life on the M5 bridge

Like a scene out of a movie, a man who was on the verge of committing suicide by jumping off a bridge onto the N1 was saved thanks to the brave act by Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Psaradelis and a good Samaritan.

Social media has been buzzing as footage emerged online showing the heroic act by Psaradelis who was off duty at the time of the incident but placed himself on duty.

The video shows the man with a cast on his broken left leg standing on top of the railing on the M5 bridge looking down onto the moving vehicles on the N1, with his wheelchair on the side.

One man can be heard shouting: “Please, brother man”. 

The video pans over to Psaradelis as he asks the man twice: “Sir, what is your name?” but the man does not respond. 

After a brief conversation, Psaradelis extends his hand to help the man down from the bridge as another man in work clothes is seen moving closer to assist.

The two men successfully talk the man down, who appears to cry.

Psaradelis, who has been an officer for 31 years, said the incident took place on Friday around 2pm when he was on his way home from work.

“It was a heavenly intervention, because I was at the right place at the right time. My commander gave us permission to leave slightly earlier, so I travel with other members who work at the same building as I do. 

"As we were travelling on the N1, the driver of the vehicle we were travelling in looked up and said ‘that gentleman is climbing up the rails to jump onto the N1'.

"So at that stage we made a U-turn to give assistance. The traffic was quite a bit, so I made a decision to get out of the car and run up to where he was standing because we did not have enough time.

"As he was standing on top of the railing, my biggest fear was that he would jump and land on someone’s windscreen and that person would swerve into another vehicle and it would be a huge issue.

"There was another private individual who tried to talk him out of it.

"Firstly, I tried to make eye contact, speak to him and tell him there is help available and try to calm him down, but I could see nothing would change his mind because he kept saying: ‘I’ve had enough’.

"The other guy and I coordinated to move in and grab him around the waist and pull him down."

Psaradelis said after they managed to get the man down, Woodstock police were called and the man was taken to a place of safety.

He adds: “I received a phone call from Woodstock police to say they have taken him to a hospital and he is receiving the necessary treatment."

Cape Argus