Florida police officer spends nearly an hour talking man off bridgethrough prayer

The arc of a man’s life changed dramatically after a Jacksonville police officer, along with a team of other officers, stepped in to help an individual in crisis on the Dames Point Bridge in Florida in April. Faith had everything to do with it. Body camera footage taken on April 12 shows Officer Antonio Richardson speaking with a man who was standing on the edge of the bridge — getting ready to jump.Richardson, along with six other patrol officers, responded to the emergency.“Whatever you’re going through, man, you can get through it,” Richardson can be heard saying to the man during the drama. “Now listen, man.Listen.

Listen.You can get through this,” he told the individual as police lights flashed behind them.“Let’s talk about it for a minute … You believe in prayer, I know that … Just touch my hand.

Just touch my hand, man, I’m praying with you,” said Richardson to the man. The officer, for about 40 minutes, kept up a steady stream of conversation and outreach to the man, who was teetering on the edge of the bridge, looking at the water below him. Richardson told the man, as he kept his arm outstretched, “If you jump, you’re going to hurt other people.And they’re going to be hurting just like you’re hurting now … The cycle’s gotta stop.”Finally, after many moments, the man stepped away from the bridge and walked toward the officer — and they hugged.

Other officers then stepped in as well. Appearing on “Fox & Friends” to discuss the incident this week, Richardson said, “When I got the call … I was just there to stop the traffic.And then a couple of other officers who knew my position as a pastor asked me to come over and talk with the guy … Nothing was scripted … I did not want to see him jump,” he added.“I just felt within myself that God was going to spare his life — and he did.” He also said, “I was praying.

And God spared his life.And we connected.

And as a result of that conn...