Boy Jumps Off Overpass, Hero Officer Jumps Right After Him

Police officer jumped off an overpass to save boy’s life in New York

A female police officer jumped off an overpass and saved a 12-year-old boy’s life in New York. The child jumped from the overpass for unknown reasons but thankfully police officer Jessie Ferreira Cavallo saw him do it and followed right behind.

“Everything happened so fast and I think my adrenaline was pumping so high,” Cavallo told USA Today. She’s a cop for the Village of Hastings-on-Hudson in New York and was on her way to work when she noticed the child. After she saw him jump, Cavallo parked her car, stuffed her pockets with medical supplies from her first-aid kit, and jumped off the overpass to where the boy had landed. It’s unclear how far the fall was, but Village of Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor Peter Swiderski said it was at least 30 feet. “I wasn’t thinking too much,” she shared. “I just knew, when I looked down and saw him … he looked dead. I couldn’t see anything other than blood. I thought to myself, ‘He needs help. I need to help him.'”

Another woman, who Cavallo said was dressed in a military uniform, also stopped to help. “Both me and her together, we were able to aid him and assist him,” the police officer explained. The women put a neck brace and a splint on the child. He opened his eyes, but Cavallo said: “he wasn’t really responding back.” According to police in Westchester County, New York, the child was taken to the hospital with a broken arm, broken nose, and leg injuries. The police officer explained that it took her a full day to process what happened.”I didn’t realize how high it was. It seemed doable. It didn’t seem that high. I thought I jumped over a brick wall, or a cement barrier,” Cavallo shared. “It was so fast. It was more like tunnel vision. I saw the boy and I needed to get to him. I didn’t see anything else.”

The unidentified boy had left the campus of a mental health facility in Yonkers, New York before he jumped, police said. The facility – Andrus – specializes in “teaching children and families the skills to express and cope with strong emotions,” according to their website. “We help increase the well of resources available to them to manage the impacts of adversity, particularly severe emotional, behavioral and mental health issues in children.” Staff members from Andrus were speaking to the boy when he jumped, police said. Thankfully, Cavallo saw him and decided to help. “I just hope that he’s doing well,” she told USA Today. “I just want to give him a hug.”

And because Cavallo is a total badass, this isn’t the first life she has saved in her short 28 years on the planet. In her seven years as a cop, she’s received six lifesaving awards. Of her bravery, mayor Swiderski said: “We (and the parents) are forever grateful.”