A 29-year-old woman is dead and her 44-year-old boyfriend has been hospitalized after the pair inexplicably leapt naked from the Tappan Zee Bridge in an apparent double suicide attempt.
Police say the pair drove a Chevy Tahoe, stopping midway on the Westchester side of the Hudson River crossing at about 9AM. Former Bronx High School of Science Teacher Alfa Choice and boyfriend Christopher Shears then climbed onto the vehicle’s hood, jumped the safety railing, and plummeted 12 stories into the water below the Tappan Zee.
Some reports have emerged that Choice hesitated before the plunge, and that she may have slipped, fallen or even could have been pushed by Shears. According to Shears’ mother, he is currently in critical condition from injuries sustained in the fall. She says:
“He’s not doing better. They’re moving him… He’s a great guy, a great son. He loved people.”
Of his relationship with Choice, Shears’ mother cryptically commented:
“I can’t even say because it’s not something I want to talk about.”
Over the past five years, 30 people have attempted suicide by jumping off the Tappan Zee, and 12 have been killed.
