Jumper Slips

At about 1:45 p.m. on Wednesday, October 28, I was driving northbound on SR-125 and noticed a curious sight: traffic on the westbound 94 connector ramp was stopped, with a California Highway Patrol car parked diagonally in front of the vehicles. Traffic was driving slowly on the eastbound side of the freeway. A CHP officer was directing cars to make a sharp turn onto the eastbound 94 connector ramp. Just then, I heard on the radio that traffic on the 94 was closed in both directions due to a possible “jumper” on the Lemon Grove Avenue bridge.

After driving to Riviera Drive near High Street for a closer look, I noticed a La Mesa police officer standing next to his patrol car, watching the scene. Holding my camera in my hand, I approached him to ask what was going on. He spoke first, however, saying, “How would you like it if that was you? Would you want someone taking pictures?” I could not answer him, not knowing what frame of mind would cause someone to choose such a public place as a busy freeway and evidently threaten to jump in full view of hundreds of people.

Generally I like cops, especially the La Mesa Police Department, having gone on three different Citizen Ride-Alongs with them over the years. After some mild protest on my part, including the mention of a dear friend that jumped from a bridge several years ago, the policeman pretty much ended it by saying, “So, why don’t you take your camera and go somewhere else?”

Noticing his rank of sergeant on his badge, and discerning that he had some strong personal feelings on the matter, I chose to comply.

According to other news reports, the woman later slipped and fell onto the freeway, where she was attended to by medical personnel and then taken to a hospital. Her condition was not made public.