Editorial Alert: This article talks about the concept of suicide. The person who jumped was found moving in the water, and recovered onto a boat where CPR was preformed. That is all that has been confirmed at this time.

The call came in to ALBB at 12:47pm on Saturday. “Somebody jumped off the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge on the Beacon side. Don’t know if they found the body yet. Giving you a heads up.” It was sunny with a slight breeze. Perfect weather. Soccer fields were packed at Sargent Elementary. Baseball fields were full at Memorial Park. Main Street felt unusually busy to some who walk early in the morning, but noticed that people had started their Beacon-ing early. I was walking to clean someone’s apartment they were getting ready to rent. When you receive a call like that, everything stops.

This isn’t the first time I got a call from a reader about a person who jumped off a bridge over the Hudson River. It feels like it happens about once a month, between the Newburgh/Beacon and the Bear Mountain Bridges. Last year at this time, on Friday September 17th, 2024, a man jumped from the Newburgh/Beacon bridge. On Tuesday, July 29th, 2025, a woman jumped from the Bear Mountain Bridge. Saturday, August 5th, 2024 a young man was found after jumping the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge. The people come from all over. Montgomery, NY. Clinton, NY. And these are those we know about.

The Westbound lane on the right when driving to Newburgh. THis is the side the woman jumped from, and was found moving in the water 100 feet down. The incident happened after 12pm. This night photo is for placement only.
Photo Credit: Katie Hellmuth

This past Saturday, it has been confirmed by MidHudson News and Dutchess County Scanner Group that a woman jumped from the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge “just after 12pm,” according to the newspaper. According to witnesses, she jumped from the Westbound side, which is the right side of the bridge if you are driving to Newburgh.

There is no walking path on this side. The barrier is low, like a jersey barrier. The right lane is usually closed except for commuter heavy traffic times. It has not been reported if her car was parked along this lane, or how she got to this spot, since there is no walking path. The drop is 100 feet.

At 12:38pm, Patrick O’Dell from the Dutchess Scanner Group reported that a woman was “observed moving in water” who was brought on board a Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) Boat Enforcer 1, MidHudson News explained.

Pictured here is a witness of the incident, a State Trooper, and a NYSBA employee after the incident took place.
*PHoto Credit: MidHudson News*

“The City of Newburgh Fire Department in Orange County, along with the New Hamburg Fire Department in Dutchess County, and the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, launched their marine units in an attempt to recover the woman,” MidHudson News reported. “The Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office responded from the Town of Poughkeepsie with Enforcer 1, racing down the river after a report from Beacon Police that the woman was in the water and alive.”

Beacon Fire Department 10-35 was confirmed by the department to have responded. The City of Beacon does not have a marine unit or dive team.

Witnesses on the bridge saw parts of the incident, and traffic was stopped. One female witness got out of her own vehicle to approach the edge of the bridge (as pictured here), and another person took a picture of her doing that with a police officer and New York State Bridge Authority (NYSBA) employee. From this picture published by MidHudson News, you can see how low the barrier is. It is also quite windy on the bridge.

Patrick O’Dell of Dutchess Scanner reported that she was transported to the Newburgh Yacht Club, where an ambulance was staged. MidHudson News reported she was given CPR immediately while on the DCSO boat, and delivered into the care of Newburgh first responders.

There has been no further release of information from the responding mutual aid services as to the woman’s condition after she was transported by first responders.

Update 9/24/2025: Readers have since written into ALBB asking for her condition. While we don’t know, and don’t expect to know, we wrote this for you in the meantime.

“ALBB: Didn’t You Report That The Rails Of The Bridge Are Low?”

Yes. In August 2024, we highlighted how low the barriers are. That spotlight was on the Eastbound side, where there is a formal walking path along the Newburgh/Beacon Bridge. While there is a high railing, the railing disappears in favor of showing a better view once in the middle of the bridge. One can easily jump over it, or throw someone or something over it.

On the opposite side, which is where the woman jumped from on Saturday, there is no extra railing at all. While that side is less convenient to get to, it is clear that one can drive their car, and stop in the right lane that remains closed to regular traffic.

Is It Time For Beacon To Get A Marine Unit? And For Higher Railings To Be Added?

With this suicide destination of a bridge, is it time the City of Beacon be equipped with a marine response team? The bridge is anchored in and named in part after Beacon, yet the City of Beacon must wait for a boat to rush from Poughkeepsie during a time when every second counts for saving a person.

If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal or heavy thoughts, dial 988 to talk to a person at the Dutchess County Help Line. Readers of ALBB who have called it say that talking with them was very helpful. Connecting is important.