North Carolina officer hugs bridge jumper

A North Carolina police officer in the right place at the right time hugs a man who moments earlier was considering jumping to his death.

Raleigh Police Department senior officer Dan Hicks was off-duty and driving home when he spotted the suicidal man sitting on the Interstate 440 bridge. Unknown to Hicks, a North Carolina Department of Transportation camera had also spotted the man and was recording as Hicks approached.

"I introduced myself by my first name and at that point we were just two people," Hicks said. "I had already made the decision that he was coming over to my side of the bridge."

The camera continues to record as Hicks extends a hand to the man, who reaches back out and swings his legs back onto the safety of the bridge. Moments later the two men embrace.

"When I was pulling him in tight the only thing that I said to him was that you're ok and it's over," Hicks said. "It's okay to give a guy a hug. I really believe that."

The man, who has not been publicly identified, received a mental health evaluation following the incident, according to published reports.