A Fall River police officer grabbed a man's belt and prevented him from jumping off the Braga Bridge Tuesday evening. Then his colleagues handcuffed the man to the bridge railing until the Fire Department was able to cut through the metal suicide barrier and take the man into safe custody.

On August 25 at approximately 7:35 p.m., city police officers were dispatched to the westbound lane of the Interstate 195 bridge spanning the Taunton River for a report of a lone male scaling the suicide barrier.

When Officer Michael Silvia arrived, he noticed a man who had apparently scaled the suicide barrier and made his way to over to the water side of the structure, according to an email from Fall River Police spokeman Lt. Jay Huard. Officer Silvia grabbed the man's belt and held onto him until officers Marc Correia and Frank Reis arrived on scene.

With assistance from Sgt. Brian Cabral, officers were able to pull him toward the barrier and safely handcuff him to the barrier. The Fall River Fire Department arrived and cut away an area of the suicide barrier. At that point, officers were able to pull the man to safety through the barrier, Huard said.

Troopers assigned to the Massachusetts State Police-Dartmouth barracks also responded to the scene. A spokesman said an adult male had climbed over the fence by the time troopers arrived, and credited Fall River police and fire personnel for their action. The man was transported via ambulance to a local hospital. Somerset Police assisted at the scene.

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