Declare:
On April 24, 2018, Michigan State Police enlisted the assistance of semi-truck drivers to line up underneath a Detroit-area freeway overpass to assist stop a girl from leaping to her dying from the bridge above.
Score:
Score: Principally True
What’s True:
On April 24, 2018, 911 callers alerted police to a person doubtlessly considering leaping from an overpass above Interstate 696 in a Detroit suburb. Michigan State Police then closed off each instructions of I-696 and directed truckers to park underneath the overpass, decreasing the potential distance the person may fall till he selected to step again from the sting. Nonetheless …
What’s False:
… Some social media customers’ posts circulating in October 2025 featured a copied-and-pasted story containing dramatized textual content resembling tales generated with an artificial-intelligence (AI) software that wrongly claimed the particular person on the bridge was a girl. Michigan State Police 1st Lt. Mike Shaw, an individual named within the story, instructed Snopes by electronic mail the person concerned was a person. He additionally stated that the posts’ model of the story was “a bit exaggerated” and identified {that a} quote attributed to him was fabricated.
A rumor that circulated on-line in October 2025 claimed that on April 24, 2018, Michigan State Police enlisted the assistance of semi-truck drivers to line up underneath a Detroit-area freeway overpass to assist stop a girl from leaping to her dying from the bridge above.
For instance, on Oct. 14, a Fb consumer posted (archived) an image displaying a number of vehicles lined up underneath an overpass at evening.
(What Did I Simply See?/Fb)
The put up, which obtained practically 100,000 whole engagements, featured a 16-paragraph story starting as follows:
13 truckers bought a name at 1 a.m.: “Park your vehicles underneath a bridge and do not transfer.” They did not ask why. They only got here.
It was after midnight on April 24, 2018, when Michigan State Police obtained a name that stopped Lt. Mike Shaw’s coronary heart: a girl was standing on the sting of a bridge over Interstate 696 in Detroit, considering the unthinkable.
The freeway under was darkish. The drop was deadly. And Shaw had minutes to decide.
He grabbed his radio and did one thing that had by no means been achieved earlier than.
He referred to as the truckers.
Inside minutes, headlights pierced the darkness. One after the other, 13 semi-trucks rolled into place throughout each lane of the freeway, parking facet by facet, forming a wall of metal and hope beneath the bridge.
Three days later, one other Fb consumer posted (archived) the identical story with a photograph displaying a crimson circle round a determine wearing white, presumably the particular person considering leaping from the bridge.
(Motivational Humorous/Fb)
Many different customers shared this identical story on Fb (archived), Instagram (archived), Threads (archived) and TikTok (archived). One TikTok photograph put up (archived) that obtained over 11 million views featured feedback together with info from two of the alleged truck drivers. These tales seem later on this article.
Snopes readers additionally searched our web site for details about whether or not this story was true.
In brief, 1st Lt. Mike Shaw, a public info officer for Michigan State Police, confirmed over electronic mail that the story was usually correct. Particularly, Shaw confirmed that troopers actually enlisted the help of truck drivers to assist stop an individual’s potential suicide try on April 24, 2018.
Relating to the copied-and-pasted story, which contained dramatized textual content resembling tales generated with an artificial-intelligence (AI) software, Shaw stated the particular person on the bridge was a person, not a girl. He additionally stated that the posts’ model of the incident was “a bit exaggerated” and included a fabricated quote attributed to him, specifically, “They did not do it for recognition. They did not do it for thanks. They did it as a result of it was the fitting factor to do.”
In different phrases, the posts’ recounting of the story was largely true however nonetheless featured inaccuracies. In consequence, we have rated the declare largely true.
Information media retailers’ articles from April 2018 reported the person peacefully walked away from the bridge after about three hours.
A put up (archived) dated the morning of the incident from an official Michigan State Police X account was proof that the photograph of the vehicles lined up underneath the bridge was real. The image displayed a mosaic impact to censor the person on the bridge, showing simply above the inexperienced signal on the fitting facet of the body.
A special X consumer’s put up (archived), showing hours previous to the Michigan State Police account’s put up, confirmed the identical image with out the mosaic impact masking the person. We contacted that consumer and can replace this text if we obtain additional info.
The person on the bridge
Hours after the incident ended with out the person leaping from the bridge, CNN reported firsthand info from Shaw. In his correspondence with Snopes, Shaw confirmed the accuracy of the article and the authenticity of the quotes bearing his title.
Round 1 a.m. on April 24, 2018, 911 callers alerted police to a person doubtlessly considering leaping from an overpass above Interstate 696 within the Detroit suburb of Huntington Woods. The CNN article, citing Shaw, stated troopers closed off each instructions of I-696 and requested for truckers’ assist in case the person jumped or unintentionally fell.
Shaw instructed CNN it wasn’t uncommon to ask truckers to assist in related circumstances, however that “more often than not these occasions are (resolved) fairly quick, so we solely get one semi.”
The article learn, partly:
Troopers seemed for large rigs exiting the freeway and requested them to drive forward as an alternative and park beneath the overpass. The 13 vehicles packed in tightly to reduce the gaps between them.
Ought to the person have fallen, Shaw stated, it could have been solely 5 or 6 toes onto the roof of a truck, relatively than 14 toes to the concrete under.
Police ended up speaking the person down, he stated.
“Normally after we speak to folks which are concerned in these sort of incidents,” Shaw stated, “normally there is a set off. We attempt to discover out what that set off is and rectify it.”
“We had been ready to do this with him at the moment,” he stated. “We had been capable of persuade him that this was not the fitting factor to do, and we had been capable of get him to a neighborhood hospital the place he’s getting the assistance that he wants.”
Shaw additional stated, “In that image someplace is anyone that was considering ending their very own life,” including, “We wish that to be the story – not what Michigan State Police did or what the truckers did, however that the particular person modified their very own thoughts.”
Fox 2 Detroit reported additional pictures from the early-morning scene, in addition to further particulars concerning the man and the officers concerned.
In the event you or somebody you realize is experiencing a psychological well being, suicide or substance use disaster, or emotional misery, attain out 24/7 to the 988 Suicide and Disaster Lifeline by dialing or texting 988 or utilizing chat providers at 988lifeline.org to connect with a educated disaster counselor.
Sources:
“13 Semis Line Detroit Freeway to Assist Man Contemplating Suicide.” FOX 2 Detroit, 24 Apr. 2018, https://www.fox2detroit.com/information/13-semis-line-detroit-freeway-to-help-man-considering-suicide.
Dickson, James David, and Sarah Rahal. “Police, Semis Halt Suicide Try on I-696.” The Detroit Information, 24 Apr. 2018, https://www.detroitnews.com/story/information/native/oakland-county/2018/04/24/police-semis-halt-suicide-attempt-696/545522002/.
Grey, Melissa. “A Man Was Threatening to Leap off an Overpass. Large Rigs Parked beneath to Break His Fall.” CNN, 24 Apr. 2018, https://www.cnn.com/2018/04/24/us/detroit-truckers-help-suicidal-man-trnd.
@mspmetrodet. “This Photograph Does Present the Work Troopers and Native Officers…” X, 24 Apr. 2018, https://x.com/mspmetrodet/standing/988789208562225153.
Patterson, Brandon, and Brian Manzullo. “A Man Tried to Leap off a Detroit Overpass. Then 13 Truckers Saved Him.” Detroit Free Press, 24 Apr. 2018, https://www.freep.com/story/information/native/michigan/oakland/2018/04/24/detroit-trucks-save-man/545219002/.
“Police and Semi Vehicles Forestall Suicide Try on Interstate.” CBS Detroit, 25 Apr. 2018, https://www.wymt.com/content material/information/Police-and-semi-trucks-prevent-suicide-attempt-on-interstate-480833891.html.
“Truckers Assist Police in Stopping Suicide on Michigan Freeway.” The Related Press, 24 Apr. 2018, https://apnews.com/general-news-8db18aa418f74463b52cc06282ccc6c1.
