A witness to a man who jumped off Auckland's Harbour Bridge has shocked radio hosts with his harrowing tale.
Hosts of The Rock received a call on Friday from a man called Luke who said he saw a man jump from the bridge earlier in the morning.
"I was driving over the bridge this morning, and unfortunately watched a man jump over the side of the bridge," he told The Morning Rumble hosts Roger Farrelly, Bryce Casey and Andrew Mulligan.
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"I followed a cop bike up the Harbour Bridge, and as he stopped, a man jumped over the side. I didn't see the man until he was actually jumping."
Shocked by the "heavy" tale, host Bryce Casey said: "Hopefully he's okay."
Police confirmed on Friday that a man had survived jumping off the bridge at about 6am and was taken to Auckland City Hospital to receive medical treatment.
Luke said he was travelling "from the city to the [North] Shore" when he saw it happen.
The left northbound lane on the Auckland Harbour Bridge had been temporarily closed during the incident, and reopened soon thereafter.
"Basically, I drove past, watched him jump, and the police bike stopped and pulled a lever and this big flotation device jumped over," Luke recounted.
"There was about three or four of them, so there was obviously quite a few of them planted there."
Luke said he felt "a little bit shaky, you don't really expect to witness something like that".
Statistics from last year showed 668 people took their own lives from July 2017 to June 2018, 10 percent more than the previous year's figure of 606.
"It's just another reminder," said Casey after Luke shared his story.
"Know that you'd be terribly missed and that people do care. It's terrible."
He suggested free ways to get help, including calling Lifeline on 0800 543 354 or texting 1737.
"The grim times don't always last."
Where to find help and support:
- Need to Talk? - Call or text 1737
- Lifeline - 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland
- Youthline - 0800 376 633, text 234, email talk@youthline.co.nz or online chat
- Samaritans - 0800 726 666
- Depression Helpline - 0800 111 757
- Suicide Crisis Helpline - 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
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