Man jumps off Verrazano Bridge; body not found

A 24-year-old Canarsie man jumped off the Verrazano Bridge on Wednesday, January 2, but his condition is unknown.

Judie Glave, a spokesperson for MTA Bridges and Tunnels, told this paper that several witnesses reported seeing a man stop his car, mid-span, in the right lane of the Staten Island-bound upper level of the bridge right before 4 p.m. and jump.

The right lane of the upper level was closed for about an hour while NYPD Harbor Units and Emergency Services Units conducted a search in the waters below the bridge.

But according to a source close to the victim, a body has still not been found.

“He is my daughter’s boyfriend. She is distraught and does not want to eat or sleep,” said the woman, who also lives in Canarsie and wishes to remain anonymous. She added that the man reportedly drove his mother’s car, which is still in police custody.

“His mother reported him as a missing person. She is in denial. It’s just so hard to deal with,” she explained, adding that he was at her home on New Year’s Eve.

“He was a good kid. He never was arrested and was going to school. He always liked to dress nicely, but lately I saw a change [in him]. His actions were not adding up to who he is,” she said.

But the woman went on to say that the victim needed directions to drive to JFK International Airport and found it highly unlikely that he would drive over the Verrazano himself.

“We are just in limbo, no one will tell us anything,” she said.