Officers' powerful words save man from jumping off bridge

“Whatever you’re going through, man, you can get through it.”

Wise words from a police officer made the difference between life and death for a troubled young man.

When he responded to an emergency call, Officer Antonio Richardson of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrived at the Dames Point Bridge to find a man standing on the edge, threatening to jump.

What happened next wasn’t about protocol or procedure. It was about making a human connection.

Body camera video shows Richardson — who is also a pastor — offering his hand in prayer.

“Can I at least have prayer with you?” he’s heard saying. “Do you mind if I just hold your hand and pray with you?”

Richardson reflected on the intense moments during an interview on Fox & Friends.

“I didn’t know what I was going to say. Nothing was scripted,” Richardson said. “We connected, and as a result of that connection he didn’t jump, and that’s what it was all about.”

After 40 minutes of conversation led by Richardson and his fellow officers, the young man eventually came back from the the brink and stepped into Richardson’s arms for an emotional embrace.

“It was overwhelming to me. It was a dramatic moment, it was a pivotal point in my life,” Richardson said. “I just went and sat in my patrol car and just wept like a baby because I saw a miracle.”

Watch the video above to see the powerful rescue scene.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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