Woman rescued after threatening to jump from Las Vegas overpass

By Briana Erickson Las Vegas Review-Journal

8 years ago

A person hangs off the Hacienda Avenue overpass and above the I-15 northbound lanes in Las Vegas, on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017. The person was rescued by Clark County Fire Department using a fire engine ladder. Erik Verduzco Las Vegas Review-Journal @Erik_Verduzco

A person hanging off the Hacienda Avenue overpass and above the I-15 northbound lanes is rescued by the Clark County Fire Department in Las Vegas, on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017. Erik Verduzco Las Vegas Review-Journal @Erik_Verduzco

Traffic builds are a person hangs off the Hacienda Avenue overpass and above the I-15 northbound lanes in Las Vegas, on Monday, Sept. 4, 2017. The person was rescued by Clark County Fire Department using a fire engine ladder. Erik Verduzco Las Vegas Review-Journal @Erik_Verduzco

A distraught woman who threatened to jump off the Mandalay Bay Road overpass at Interstate 15 Monday afternoon forced intermittent lane closures of the freeway before she was rescued, the Clark County Fire Department said.

The fire department and Metropolitan Police Department units responded around 12:15 p.m. to reports that a woman was hanging on the outside of the overpass above the northbound lanes.

It took about 45 minutes and a fire truck ladder to get the woman down safely.

“The person was not in a good mental state and appeared to be suicidal,” Fire Chief Greg Cassell said.

Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @brianarerick on Twitter.