Depressed ex-Navy man climbs Fernan Bridge

A 50-year-old American, down on his luck, tried to leap off the Marcelo Fernan Bridge yesterday.

Police talked him down past 1 p.m., ending a suicide attempt on a bridge that has seen other “jumpers” seeking a desperate exit.

Jerry Lynn Johnson, a former US Navy man,  said he thought of ending his life and decided to climb the 50-foot tower on the spur of the moment.

“I can’t pay immigration.  I can’t pay my rent. I lost all my money,” he told reporters later.

But standing on top of the bridge overlooking the blue green waters of the Mactan Channel, the 6-foot-2-inch American froze.

“I wanted to jump but it was too scary and too high.  I lost my nerve,” he said.  Instead he smoked four cigarettes.  Mandaue police negotiated with him for half an hour, then led him down a ladder to safety.

Johnson, a native of Springville, Alabama, said he lost his P250,000 investment in a restaurant bar called Club 9 in barangay Basak, Lapu-Lapu City.

The loss was the latest in a string of misfortunes, which he include two divorces in the United States and  the death of a baby daughter, who was born premature in 1983.

Johnston had only P90 in his pocket yesterday.

He said he couldn’t afford the P20,000 cost of renewing his immigration papers that he needs to hold a job.

He also failed to keep up with the P5,000 rent of his apartment in sitio Datag, barangay Maribago, Lapu-Lapu City.

For the past two years, Johnston said he stayed in Cebu with a male partner “Jamaica.”

Before leaving for the bridge, Johnston left his friend a love note:  “The password to open the computer is ceciliasux. Always remember that I loved you.”

Jamaica, a slim 22-year-old man with long hair in a ponytail and pearl studs on both ears, showed up at the police station last night to comfort his friend.

Why the Fernan Bridge? reporters asked.

Johnston said the bridge happened to be “accessible.”  He didn’t appear aware of the highly publicized stakeout last Jan. 20 by Jecy “Jake” Mollena, who climbed the opposite tower and stayed there for two days without water or food.

The tower episode 153 days earlier had police scrambling to arrest Mollena after suspecting  he had been looting cables wires. They waited for Mollena to climb down, then filed a charge of alarm and scandal against the Bukidnon province native, who claimed he was just looking from his high perch for a passenger ship to stow away.

Yesterday, Johnston said he was sorry for creating a disturbance with his suicide attempt.

Police plan to turn him over to the Bureau of Immigration. Law enforcers did not mention any charges to be filed against him. Reporter Jucell Marie P. Cuyos