Montgomery County police save man who was trying to jump off Union Arch Bridge

CABIN JOHN, Md. (FOX 5 DC) - Dramatic video shows two Montgomery County police officers rescuing a man who tried to jump off a bridge and into oncoming traffic earlier this week.

“Please don’t do this,” one of the officers can be heard yelling on body camera footage that was released Thursday. “We need you here. Look at me. I mean this with everything I’ve got.”

It happened Monday night on the Union Arch Bridge in Cabin John, which is more than 50 feet off the ground. Police say an 18-year-old had gone missing from a Bethesda group home, before staff eventually located the teen using the Find My iPhone app. Officers Marcella West and Samuel Yun arrived moments later, and while West grabbed the 18-year-old through a safety fence, Yun hopped over it to grab him from the other side. From there, more first responders arrived and helped pull the teen to safety.

“This video just goes to show that officers do have compassion for everybody, and no matter what struggles that anybody’s going through there’s always somebody out there to help,” Ofc. Rick Goodale said Thursday.

Police added that the man who was rescued is now getting the help he needs. Altogether the rescue took more than half an hour.