By: Richard L. Smith
A painstaking scene developed on the Garden State Parkway in Essex County on Friday night as state police and Irvington Township firefighters worked to prevent a man from jumping off the Chancellor Avenue overpass.
The incident began just before 10:45 p.m. near exit 143.7 in Irvington Township.
The man, in a dangerous position, had climbed over the bridge's fencing and walked to its center lanes, where he was seen hanging.
Drivers on the busy parkway were stunned to witness the man clinging to the bridge.
NJ State Troopers swiftly responded by closing all northbound lanes from exit 143, causing a miles-long traffic delay.
Commuters experienced about an hour-long delay traveling from exit 143 to exit 157 in Bergen County.
Firefighters deployed ladder trucks to reach the man while police officers engaged him from the opposite side of the bridge, attempting to calm him with conversation.
After about 25 minutes of tense efforts, the man cautiously walked back across the bridge, where responders safely assisted him off.
Remarkably, no injuries were reported in this intense rescue operation.
