‘SOLEMN REMINDER’

NYC Corrections Officer Dies After Jumping From Verrazano-Narrows Bridge

Edward Roman, 38, was under increasing stress working at Rikers Island, a union rep said.

A New York City corrections officer has died after he jumped from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, authorities said Friday. The bridge, which connects Brooklyn and Staten Island, is more than 20 stories above the water at its midpoint. Edward Roman, 38, was assigned to an infirmary on the notorious Rikers Island, according to the New York Daily News. Union boss Benny Boscio called Roman’s death “a solemn reminder of the enormous stress correction officers face on a daily basis. The worsening conditions in our jails doesn’t just affect the inmates. Our officers go to work every day not knowing if they will return home the same way they left.” The Department of Correction said it would be offering counseling to staff, the News reported. “We can never do anything right, we’re always working and never see our kids,” one CO told the paper. “At least in the NYPD, you can get fresh air and go to Starbucks.”