Tennessee Highway Patrol saves man from jumping off Nashville bridge

Two officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol are being credited with saving a man from jumping off a bridge in Nashville Tuesday.

Lieutenant Bill Miller with the THP says just before 3:00 Tuesday afternoon, Sergeants Denney Mitchell and Adam Simpkins from the THP’s Capitol Protection Unit responded to the James Robertson Parkway Bridge where a man was threatening to jump off the bridge to the street below.

At the scene, the Sergeants approached the gentlemen. Sergeant Mitchell informed the man that “I am going to give you a hug, brother, and everything is going to be ok.” Sergeant Mitchell then pulled him over the railing of the bridge to safety.

Sergeants Mitchell and Simpkins provided the man with comfort and security until police officers from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and first responders from the Nashville Fire Department arrived.

“I am impressed but not surprised by the quick and calm response from Sergeants Denney Mitchell and Adam Simpkins,” said THP Colonel Matt Perry. “Both men have been trained to assist with mental health crisis calls, and I am grateful we are talking about a positive outcome for this man during what is clearly a hard time in his life. Their actions demonstrate one of the many ways that members of the Tennessee Highway Patrol are always ready to help in someone’s time of need.”