UPDATE 11:55 AM: The man threatening to jump from the Burnside Bridge was coaxed down safely from the rail about 11:30 am, police say, about 45 minutes after the first calls about a potential suicide attempt came in. Westbound traffic had been closed while police spoke with the man, but as of now—barring any residual slowdowns—traffic on both sides of the bridge should be moving.
Original post: Portland police officers have closed westbound traffic on the Burnside Bridge in hopes of coaxing back to safety a young man who witnesses say appeared to be hanging off the rail on the north side of the bridge, threatening to jump in the Willamette River.
Police spokeswoman Lt. Kelli Sheffer said officers are in contact with the man but that special crisis negotiators have not been called out yet. "We'll see if we can get him to come back over," Sheffer says. "A lot of times it doesn't require more resources, like our negotiation team. It looks like the uniform folks are dongdoing okay."
Sheffer also said Coast Guard boats have been deployed under the bridge to reach the young man in case he does fall into the river.
Information about the young man on the bridge, and on how the incident started, wasn't immediately available. But I'll post more as we get it. Our intern Kevin Otzenberger is headed to the scene.
If you're heading that way, remember that traffic heading to downtown is closed off. Traffic heading east is open—but only for now. Depending on how things go, police could close the entire bridge at any time.
Your best bet? "Take another route," Sheffer says. And hope for the best.