The Real Unsung NYPD Hero Who Talked A Man Down From The Verrazano Ledge Gets His Due

Every major media outlet reported that it was Officer Yi Huang who talked a distraught man from the ledge of the Verrazano Bridge in his native Cantonese.

Only that isn’t the real story. Sure, Huang was there, but it was not Huang whose tight bond with the despondent man dramatically changed the course of the events.

Eddie Fung, an MTA Bridge and Tunnel officer, was the man responsible for talking the suicidal jumper down. He was one of the first to arrive on the scene.

Fung spent hours communicating with the jumper about their common birthplace, the future of their children and a host of other intimate stories. Huang arrived hours later.

When the nightmare came to an end, it was Fung who rode in the ambulance with the jumper to the hospital.

According to the Huffington Post, it is NYPD’s Public Information office that is to blame for the misnomer. The releases praised Huang without any credit given to Fung.

The good news is that some of the police officers who were also present during the rescue noted the inaccuracies and went personally to thank Hung for his hard work.

The better news is that, now, the right man has been named and thanked.