A man appeared poised to jump Thursday afternoon from the St. Johns Bridge but instead backed away from his perch and into the hands of rescuers who'd gathered on the bridge deck.

Authorities closed traffic on the four-lane span over the Willamette River at about 2 p.m. following reports that a person may be preparing to jump.

Portland Fire & Rescue and Portland police people to the bridge. Portland police published a tweet earlier in the crisis saying an officer was attempting to establish communication with the man – followed by another tweet saying communication had been established.

At about 2:40 p.m., Portland Fire & Rescue posted a video to its Twitter account, showing what appeared to be the man stepping onto a ladder, guided by another person.

The incident happened shortly before another person jumped from the Interstate Bridge. That person was pulled safely from the Columbia River.

-- Allan Brettman