MLB Umpire Saves Woman in Nick of Time, Stopping Her From Jumping Off Bridge
This baseball umpire is used to making judgment calls on plays, which can sometimes earn him boos from players and fans of the disaffected team.
However, when Major League Baseball (MLB) umpire John Tumpane made one recent judgment call, everyone stood up and applauded him heartily for his heroic act. It's because he saved the life of a distraught woman who was about to commit suicide.
At the right place at the right time, Tumpane was walking across the Roberto Clemente Bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania around 3 p.m. on June 28 on his way back from a run and lunch when he saw the woman climb over a railing, staring at the Allegheny River below, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Immediately sensing trouble, Tumpane rushed towards the woman. He then hooked his arm around hers just as she was about to jump.
"You don't want to do that ... Let's go grab some lunch and talk," he told her.
The woman tried to break free from his grip, but Tumpane would not allow it. He then asked a passerby to call 911.
Tumpane struggled to keep his grip on the woman who dangled her feet off the bridge's edge, putting her full weight against his arms.
"Just let me go ... You don't care about me," she told him.
Tumpane replied, "I care."
Other men then came to help lift the woman back over the railing. They placed the woman on a mat as the paramedics readied the ambulance. Before she was taken to the hospital, Tumpane knelt next to the woman and prayed for her.
An hour later, Tumpane was back at his job officiating a game between the Pirates and the Tampa Bay Rays.
The following day, he received a standing ovation at the PNC Park in Pittsburgh—the first MLB umpire to be given such an honor. Tumpane tipped his cap to the audience's applause as the PNC Park public address announcer asked the crowd, "On behalf of the Pittsburgh community, please join us in thanking John for his bravery."
Tumpane became an instant national celebrity in a span of 24 hours as the 34-year-old Chicago native was interviewed on the MLB Network and the "Today" show. His inspiring story also spread like wildfire on both social and traditional medias.
Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle paid tribute to the heroic umpire.
"The man didn't think about things. He didn't analyze things. He didn't figure out how he was feeling first, he just got engaged. He just did something to help make a difference in the life of another human being," Hurdle told reporters.
Tumpane said what he did is something that comes naturally to him. "I just happened to be there. I think I've been a caring person in my life. I saw somebody in need, and it looked like a situation to obviously insert myself and help out.," he said.
