A young man who was moments away from taking his life by jumping from a Manchester bridge has made a plea to find the heroic woman who saved him.
The 25-year-old man climbed onto the bridge on Blackfriars St on Sunday evening when a mysterious passer-by stopped, climbed over the barrier and sat with him – eventually convincing him to change his mind.
The man, originally from Eastern Europe, has asked for help via social media to find the woman who talked him down.
He said: “I literally owe her my life. I climbed up on a bridge and wanted to jump off.
“A woman who was walking by started talking to me and climbed over and sat with me, not letting me jump off.”
The woman told the man that she didn’t mind if he wanted to talk and that she might visit him but he did not manage to get any contact details from her because he had been drinking.
“Please, if anyone out there can help me find her… I don’t know where else to turn, and I could really use a friendly face in my life,” he said.
The man said that he could not remember much about the woman except that she was white, spoke with a British accent, was in her 20s or 30s and didn’t have a job.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed to MM that they received a call just before eight o’clock on Sunday evening and that Blackfriars St had been temporarily closed.
A spokesman said a woman had been talking to the man and when he came off the bridge he was taken to the hospital for observation.
Only the night before, the man made a post entitled ‘Can’t take this anymore’ in which he said that he planned on taking his life.
“I’ve dug myself in a hole, my whole life is meaningless,” he said.
“I’m depressed getting drunk and I have no one to turn to.
“I’m gonna go donate my life savings tomorrow and try to kill myself, and I hope it works.
“Some people just aren’t meant to be happy.”
The man also made two more posts about a month ago.
One simply said: “Please I really don’t have anyone to talk to and I don’t know what to do anymore.”
Another pleaded for relationship help with a girl he loves 2,000 miles away but garnered no responses.
The pair had a relationship in their home country before breaking up when the man came to England.
They reunited in Paris for a few days when he realised he loved her and invited her to come and live with him.
However, the girl did not take up the offer and the pair remain separated.
“I don’t want to live without her, I can’t,” he said.
“I’m considering quitting my job and moving back to be with her. I don’t think I can stand more of this even if it’s for a few more months.
“The thing is I really love her, I want to be there for her, and to support her, so we can have a better future together.”
If you have any idea who the mysterious heroine is, please get in touch with us here.
Picture courtesy of Stephen Richards, with thanks.
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