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Suicides at the Golden Gate Bridge

SOLVED1937Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California3 SOURCESUPDATED JUL 2026
A suicide-prevention sign and crisis phone on the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
A suicide-prevention sign and crisis phone on the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco — Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0

The Golden Gate Bridge, opened in 1937 in the San Francisco Bay Area, has been the site of an estimated 2,000 suicide deaths as of 2026. The bridge deck sits about 245 feet above the water; a fall of roughly four seconds ends with impact at around 75 mph, and most jumpers die instantly from internal injuries. About 5% survive the initial impact but often then drown or die of hypothermia; only a very small number have survived altogether, with roughly 34 known survivors as of July 2013. An official count of jumps was kept until 1995, tracked by which of the bridge's 128 lamp posts a jumper was nearest to; the count ended at the 997th jump on June 5, 1995, with jumper No. 1000 occurring on July 3, 1995. After that, the Marin County coroner asked media to stop reporting totals, though unofficial tallies continued to be compiled by outlets such as the San Francisco Chronicle, which estimated the unofficial count exceeded 1,600 by 2012.

The bridge's first known intentional death occurred in August 1937, several months after the bridge opened, when a World War I veteran jumped despite a bystander's attempt to stop him. Other documented incidents over the decades include a father and young daughter who died together in 1945; a father and son who died two days apart in 1954; the founder of Victoria's Secret, who died in 1993; and a man who died in 2003 after publicly protesting the Iraq War from the bridge, having survived a different fall in 1988. In a 1993 case, a man murdered his wife, then killed his three-year-old daughter and himself by jumping from the bridge; law enforcement officers had approached him on the bridge shortly before he threw the child over the railing. Other cases include a teenager who died in 2008, whose body was never recovered, and a young man in 2014 whose grandfather had been a longtime board member advocating for a suicide barrier.

Various prevention measures have been implemented over the years, including suicide-hotline telephones, staff patrols, nighttime pedestrian closures, and volunteer groups such as the Bridgewatch Angels, founded in 2011, and bridge ironworkers who have informally intervened in rescues since at least the 1980s. Public pressure for a physical barrier intensified in the mid-2000s following two documentary films about bridge suicides and a Chronicle investigative series. The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District Board voted in 2008 to install a stainless-steel net barrier extending 20 feet from the walkway, though funding delays postponed the project for years. Construction began in 2017–2018 and was completed in January 2024. Following installation, officials reported a sharp decline in both completed suicides and attempts through 2024 and 2025 compared to prior annual averages.

Key facts

Victims
Marilyn DeMont, Kenneth Baldwin, August DeMont, Marc Salinger, Sean Moylan, Paul Aladdin Alarab, Kellie Page, Charles S. Gallagher Sr., Casey Joanna Brooks, Thornton McKay, Luhe Vilagomez, Kevin Hines, Nancy Page, Charles S. Gallagher Jr., Harold B. Wobber, Roy Raymond
Date
1937
Location
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California
Case status
solved

Case timeline

  1. 1937-08

    First known intentional death from the Golden Gate Bridge occurs several months after the bridge's opening.

  2. 1945

    A father and his five-year-old daughter die together after jumping from the bridge.

  3. 1954-09-27

    A San Jose business director dies after jumping from the bridge.

  4. 1954-09-29

    The man's 24-year-old son dies after jumping from the same location two days later.

  5. 1973-10-10

    The 500th recorded jumper, a 26-year-old man, dies.

  6. 1977-02-09

    Marc Salinger, son of former press secretary Pierre Salinger, dies after jumping from the bridge.

  7. 1985

    Kenneth Baldwin survives a jump from the bridge.

  8. 1988

    Paul Aladdin Alarab survives a fall from the bridge during a protest-related incident.

  9. 1993-01-28

    Steven Page kills his wife Nancy, then throws his three-year-old daughter Kellie off the Golden Gate Bridge before jumping himself.

  10. 1993-08-26

    Roy Raymond, founder of Victoria's Secret, dies after jumping from the bridge.

  11. 1995-06-05

    The official jump count kept by the bridge district ends at the 997th recorded jump.

  12. 1995-07-03

    The 1,000th recorded jumper, Eric Atkinson, dies.

  13. 2000-09-25

    Kevin Hines survives a jump from the bridge and later becomes a mental health advocate.

  14. 2003-03-19

    Paul Aladdin Alarab dies after jumping from the bridge during an Iraq War protest.

  15. 2005-01

    Public campaigns for a suicide barrier intensify, including an open letter published in the San Francisco Chronicle.

  16. 2006

    The documentary film The Bridge, depicting 2004 bridge suicides, is released.

  17. 2008-01-29

    17-year-old Casey Brooks jumps from the bridge; her body is never recovered.

  18. 2008-10-10

    The Golden Gate Bridge and Transportation District Board votes to install a suicide-prevention net barrier.

  19. 2011

    The Bridgewatch Angels volunteer group is founded.

  20. 2011-03-10

    17-year-old Luhe Vilagomez survives a jump from the bridge.

  21. 2014-06-05

    Sean Moylan, grandson of a former bridge district board president, dies after jumping from the bridge.

  22. 2017-05

    Fabrication of the suicide-barrier netting begins offsite.

  23. 2018-08

    On-site installation of the suicide-prevention net barrier begins.

  24. 2022-12-27

    23-year-old Thornton McKay survives a jump from the bridge.

  25. 2024-01

    Installation of the stainless-steel suicide-prevention net barrier is completed.

Best coverage

No approved coverage links are attached yet.

People

  • Marilyn DeMont

    VICTIM

    Five-year-old who died in 1945 after her father directed her to jump from the bridge before he jumped himself.

  • Kenneth Baldwin

    VICTIM

    Survived a jump from the bridge in 1985.

  • Ken Hopper

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Bridge ironworker who volunteered in suicide rescues beginning in the mid-1980s and witnessed the 1993 Page murder-suicide.

  • August DeMont

    VICTIM

    Father who died by suicide in 1945 after also causing his daughter's death at the bridge.

  • Marc Salinger

    VICTIM

    Died by suicide from the bridge in 1977; son of former press secretary Pierre Salinger.

  • Sean Moylan

    VICTIM

    27-year-old who died by suicide from the bridge on June 5, 2014.

  • Paul Aladdin Alarab

    VICTIM

    Died by suicide from the bridge on March 19, 2003, after surviving a earlier fall in 1988.

  • Kellie Page

    VICTIM

    Three-year-old thrown from the Golden Gate Bridge by her father Steven Page on January 28, 1993.

  • Charles S. Gallagher Sr.

    VICTIM

    Died by suicide from the bridge in September 1954.

  • Casey Joanna Brooks

    VICTIM

    17-year-old who died by suicide from the bridge on January 29, 2008; body never recovered.

  • Thornton McKay

    VICTIM

    23-year-old student who survived a jump from the bridge in December 2022.

  • Luhe Vilagomez

    VICTIM

    17-year-old who survived a jump from the bridge in March 2011.

  • Kevin Hines

    VICTIM

    Survived a jump from the bridge in 2000 and later became a mental health advocate.

  • Nancy Page

    VICTIM

    Killed by her husband Steven Page in their Fremont home on January 28, 1993.

  • Charles S. Gallagher Jr.

    VICTIM

    Died by suicide from the bridge two days after his father, in September 1954.

  • Harold B. Wobber

    VICTIM

    First known person to die by suicide from the Golden Gate Bridge, in August 1937.

  • Roy Raymond

    VICTIM

    Founder of Victoria's Secret; died by suicide from the bridge on August 26, 1993.

  • Mia Munayer

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    Pleasanton Police Lieutenant who founded the Bridgewatch Angels volunteer patrol group in 2011.

  • Kevin Briggs

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    California Highway Patrol officer credited with talking down numerous would-be jumpers.

Roles reflect public records and court outcomes at the time of writing — supporting citations are on file under Sources.

Archival records

  • A suicide-prevention sign and crisis phone on the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

    archival location

    A suicide-prevention sign and crisis phone on the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

    Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

Places

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

37.8199, -122.4783

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Common questions

What happened to the victim?
Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, an estimated 2,000 people have died by suicide jumping from it, prompting decades of debate and, eventually, construction of a suicide-prevention net barrier completed in January 2024.
Where did the crime happen?
Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California.
What is the current status of the case?
Status: solved.
More cases in California

Sources

  1. PRESSSaving Lives Just Part of the JobSFGate · 2026-07-10
  2. PRESSContemporaneous coverage of Golden Gate Bridge suicidesThe New York Times · 2026-07-10
  3. ENCYCLOPEDICSuicides at the Golden Gate BridgeWikipedia · 2026-07-10

Record history

First published
JUL 10, 2026