New York Personal Injury News & NYC Legal Current Events

Tappan Zee Suicide Attempt Leaves One Dead, One Recovering

Posted on Jul 19, 2011

A couple tried to take their own lives after jumped naked together from the Tappan Zee Bridge last week. The man and woman held hands as they jumped into the Hudson River.

The man, who was thought to be 44 years old, was pulled from the river and taken to the Nyack hospital where he was listed in ‘extremely critical' condition. The woman, who was believed to be in her early 30's was also pulled from the river alive but later died from injuries caused by the jump.

The couple had driven over the three-mile bridge around 9 am in a Chevy Tahoe. The couple jumped from the hood of the Tahoe while holding hands. Nearby construction workers witnessed the couple jumping as they worked underneath the bridge. It was the construction workers that pulled both people from the river. It is estimated that the drop ranges between 175 and 250 feet from where the couple jumped.

The police are still investigating the incident and had been withholding the names of the couple involved as family members were still being notified. However, police say now that 20 year old Alpha Choice and her 44 year old boyfriend, Christopher Shears were from Ithaca, NY. The initial belief is that the couple had created a suicide pact. They had known each other for many years as they were both natives of the Bronx.

Choice was heralded as a good student who has achieved her master's degree in teaching from Cornell. Friends say she became more withdrawn after getting involved with Shears.

Statistics from the New York Thruway Authority ranging from 1998 to 2008 show that more than 25 people have attempted or committed suicide by plunging into the Hudson River from the Tappan Zee Bridge.

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