A Nashville police lieutenant talked a man off a bridge with a handshake, a hug and a simple message.
Lieutenant Mike Hotz, with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department, was called to the Victory Memorial Bridge on July 23 after reports that a man was intending to jump.
Instead of rushing toward him, Hotz introduced himself calmly. “Hey man, my name’s Mike. Can I just holler at you?”
He told the man, “I just want to help you talk through this, this worst day of your life. And I know it is.”
Hotz previously served on Metro Nashville’s Crisis Negotiation Team. He also said his response drew on personal experience as a military combat veteran who has seen fellow service members face mental health crises.
“He cried several times with just absolute frustration,” Hotz said. “Having been a military combat veteran, unfortunately I’ve had more experiences than I can count with the brothers that I served with overseas going through mental crisis and having suicidal thoughts.”
As they kept talking, Hotz made a promise to the man. “I’m not gonna try nothing crazy. I promise you to the Lord himself. Can I shake your hand?”
The man accepted the handshake, stepped away from the edge of the bridge and walked toward officers waiting to help him.
Hotz told him, “I love you. It’s gonna be alright.”
The handshake then turned into a hug. “We’re here to love you, bro. We’re here to love you.”
Hotz said that moment stayed with him.
“I think at the end, when he hugged me, I think it was a release of all their emotions and just realizing that they were going to trust us to get them the help they need,” he said.
After the man was safely in the care of first responders and counselors, Hotz said he stepped away and prayed.
“At the end of that call, I kind of stepped away from the officers and the counselors that were on scene and kind of just said a short prayer and thanked God for having me in the right place at the right time. And I just feel very fortunate.”
Hotz said he hopes the rescue encourages people to check in on friends and family who may be struggling.
“And just know that you can have those uncomfortable conversations and ask people how they’re doing. And that’s gonna help you help your friends and family get the help that they need.”
Hotz recently received the DEA’s Excellence in Protection Award after creating Nashville’s ONEbox program, which has placed overdose reversal kits at more than 500 locations across the city, including bars and other public places.
His work on overdose prevention has also contributed to one of Nashville’s largest reductions in drug related deaths.
He also told the man on the bridge, “I just want you to feel like you are loved here because you are.”
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