FAYETTE COUNTY - (WVVA) - The New River Gorge Bridge was closed for nearly five hours Thursday morning until an individual who threatened to jump from the bridge could be taken into custody.
Around 4 a.m. Thursday, Fayette County 911 was notified of a vehicle stopped in the northbound lane of Route 19 -- near the center span of the bridge -- and an individual standing on or near the railing.
The individual told authorities who arrived at the scene that he intended to jump. Members of the sheriff's office Crisis Negotiations Team as well as several other agencies were called in to assist.
Both lanes on the bridge were closed to traffic just before 6 a.m. After several hours of negotiations, the individual was convinced to step away from the railing. Other personnel at the scene were then able to restrain the individual who was taken into custody.
Traffic flow on the bridge was re-opened at approximately 10:30 a.m..
The name of the individual is not being released, but authorities say the person is not from the area.
Fayette County Sheriff Steve Kessler praised the agencies who responded to the incident, including the county sheriff's office, West Virginia State Police, Fayetteville and Oak Hill police departments, National Park Service, Department of Highways and crews from the Fayetteville and Nuttall fire departments who all worked to divert traffic from the bridge onto routes 60 and 16.
