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It's a natural, human response, says man who prevents suicide attempt
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Suicide was the fifth leading cause of death globally among those aged 30 to 49 in 2012, and the second in the 15 to 29 age group. (Shutterstock/File)
Twenty-year-old Reynald Pratama never thought he would stumble upon a suicide attempt on his way to work.
That Saturday morning started like any other day. He passed the same streets and waited for the bus at the same bus stop. However, his day took a quite a turn when he came across a woman who was about to jump off of a footbridge at a Transjakarta bus stop in Kuningan Timur, South Jakarta.
"At first, I was not aware that the lady was about to commit suicide," Reynald told The Jakarta Post. "But as I approached her, I noticed that she was standing on a ledge outside of the bridge's guardrail."
He finally made a split-second decision to grab and pull the woman from the ledge when her eyes were fixated on a commuter who happened to pass by.
"If you saw the video, you could see a middle-aged man who passed by the bridge," he said. "I used his presence as a distraction."
"It was completely spontaneous," he said. "He happened to pass by at the right moment."
The housekeeper at a hotel in Kuningan said he had saved the woman out of a moral obligation.
"I'm sure other people would have done the same thing," he said. "It was just a natural, human response."
The video of the rescue has since gone viral on social media, with netizens praising Reynald's action.
Twitter user @giewahyudi observed the disparity between Reynald's quick response and the passerby's seeming ignorance as an unfortunate fact of life in the busy capital.
Itulah gambaran warga Jakarta yang beragam. Ada yang peduli, ada yang cuek. Mungkin dikira lagi syuting reality show. 😥
— Gie Wahyudi (@giewahyudi) June 30, 2018
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Another user, however, offered a more optimistic view of the passerby's indirect contribution to the rescue effort.
justru bapa gendut itu berjasa mengalihkan perhatian, sehingga masmas baju putih punya kesempatan gerak cepat. 🤔
— krisnadi setyawan (@krisna17revolt) June 30, 2018
Some noted the danger inherent to Reynald's spontaneous rescue, adding that it could easily have gone awry had he miscalculated his movements.
Agak ngeri jg liatinnya,itu kl tangan mas jaket putih salah posisi aja bisa2 bukannya nangkep malah kedorong tuh ibu2. Tp yang pasti mah salut masih ada orang2 yg peduli ama kejadian disekitarnya👍👍
— In Vino Veritas (@martinbob80) June 30, 2018
The suicidal woman later explained that she had been arguing with her husband and apologized for causing a scene at the bridge.
"She is on her way back home to Slipi, Kemanggisan, in West Jakarta," said Transjakarta spokesman Wibowo. (rfa)
