Mystery over girl who jumped from bridge on Facebook Live
It remains unclear if an 18-year-old girl, who was seen on a Facebook Live post jumping off Bangkok’s Rama 8 Bridge early on Tuesday morning in an apparent suicide attempt after a reported fight with her boyfriend, is dead or alive.
As of 4pm on Tuesday, police still couldn’t find her body.
The woman – later identified as Nitaya, with her last name withheld – was seen on a 2am Facebook Live post which she reportedly paid a man to film for her.
Apparently intoxicated, she is seen singing a song about a break-up. She then climbed to sit on the bridge rail while drinking, then stepped outside the rail and jumped into the Chao Phraya River. The man who was shooting the scene with a smartphone, exclaimed in shock and turned off the Live post.
Footage from a nearby CCTV camera also showed that the girl jumped off the bridge by herself.
Patrolling police responding to a report of attempted suicide found a bottle of alcohol, a phone and the woman’s ID card.
Police said the young woman, who seemed sad and had been crying, hailed motorcycle taxi driver Pataradanai Noomsrinart at Soi Nakniwat 30 to take her to the bridge. She paid him an extra Bt500 to stay with her and shoot the clip.
He told police that Nitaya seemed upset about her love life but didn’t say anything about suicide. He said he saw her fall down and struggle in the water before sinking.
The young woman’s uncle by marriage, who was contacted by police, said Nitaya had left her Ranong home two years ago and the family had no current address for her. All they knew was that she had a boyfriend who worked in the computer field.