FORT LEE - Police rescued a suicidal man who pointed a realistic looking air gun at them Friday on the George Washington Bridge.
Douglas Peck, 37, of Edgewater, was spotted at around 10:15 a.m. on the midspan of the upper level by a Port Authority Police officer driving over the bridge on routine patrol.
"He was looking over the side of the railing and something just seemed off," said officer Robert Wallace at an afternoon press conference.
At about the same, Port Authority Police received a call from Palisades Police about a man who wanted to harm himself on the bridge. Wallace recognized the description from the man he passed and went around to confront him.
When Peck, who was now standing on the outside railing, was asked by Wallace what he was doing he responded that he was there to take photos.
As Wallace approached Peck, he removed an air gun from his pocket and aimed it at Wallace. Officials said the air gun looked "exactly like a Beretta," complete with the name on the side. The air gun was not discharged, officials said.
Wallace took cover behind a cable and drew his weapon but did not fire any shots.
At that time, PAPD's Emergency Service Unit responded to the scene and surrounded Peck.
"It was clear that his intentions were for us to shot him," said Officer Javier Cerna, of the ESU.
Officers were able to get Peck into dropping the weapon, at which point Cerna grabbed the man and pulled him to safety.
"This incident shows the great restraint from our officers who fired no shots," said Michael A. Fedorko, superintendent of police at PANYNJ.
Peck was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and aggravated assault of an officer. He was taken to Bergen Regional Medical Center where he is currently under observation.
As the incident unfolded, police closed all upper-level lanes and advised motorists to use the lower level.
All lanes were reopened to traffic about 11:30, according to the Port Authority.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.