In perhaps one of the more heartwarming displays of an “only in New York” moment, a Good Samaritan risked his life to help save a suicidal woman in the New York City subway over the weekend.
It’s not uncommon to see people doing odd things in New York City, so the fact that anyone paused to investigate is a blessing.
Photos of the brave intervention began making their way around social media after straphangers at the Broadway-Lafayette station in SoHo noticed a man and woman curiously sitting on the beams above the station.
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According to witnesses, a distressed young woman climbed up the beams that run across the train platform around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. A man quickly scurried up behind her and followed her about 10 feet across the beam, before convincing her to stop. Michal Klein, a subway rider who was on her way to a restaurant, said she had gotten off a downtown D train when she noticed the pair about 20 feet above the platform. She told WCBS-TV that he initially assumed they were “goofing off,” but soon realized there was much more to the story.
Just came out of Broadway/Lafayette station and saw two people sitting up in rafters. One looked upset. I found out one…
Posted by Michal Klein on Saturday, August 26, 2017
“I couldn’t really tell if they were laughing or if one person was crying,” Klein said. “I wasn’t sure. My first thought was: How did they get up there? I thought they were just goofing off.”
Fellow straphangers told Klein that they had seen the girl climb over a railing and head up the beam while saying “suicidal things,” before noticing the unidentified man go after her.
“I don’t know what I would’ve done. I don’t think I would’ve climbed over to do that,” Klein told WCBS-TV. “He actually cared enough, whoever he was, to help her. A lot of people seemed to be like, ‘Oh, it’s New York,’ and kept walking.”
Others at the scene told reporters they felt more comfortable calling the police than taking matters into their own hands. According to the New York Daily News, authorities were able to coax the woman down around 4:20 p.m. and took her to a waiting ambulance.
Ultimately, those who witnessed the man’s selfless act were encouraged to know that, despite all that is going on the world, there are still people looking out for one another.
“The fact that people take the time to connect with others, it means a lot,” a woman told WCBS-TV. “It’s sweet.”
(H/T: Daily Mail)