By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-08-11 17:54:40 | Updated at 2026-08-11 18:06:54
1 hour ago
A Tennessee man who nearly jumped to his death has opened up about the ways his life has improved in the weeks since he was saved by a compassionate cop.
Gary Butler, a father of two, stood at the edge of a bridge over the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville and contemplated taking his own life on July 23.
As he stood at the bridge's railing, looking onto the water and mulling over his thoughts for 15 minutes, officers with the Nashville Police Department rushed to the scene.
One officer, Mike Hotz, calmly approached Butler and addressed him with empathy. 'Hey man, my name's Mike. Can I just holler at you?' the officer could be heard saying to the distressed man in body camera footage obtained by WTVF.
'I just want to help you talk through this - this worst day of your life. And I know it is,' Hotz said. The exchange ended with Butler stepping away from the edge and hugging the officer as he let out tears.
Three weeks after that close call, Butler opened up about his experience and how his life has changed during an interview with WTVF.
'I was gonna jump off the bridge. That was my main thing, like, this is it,' he told the outlet.
Butler said that he felt he had nowhere to turn and no one to help him after struggling with homelessness and mental illness while being unable to afford medication.
Gary Butler nearly jumped to his death from a bridge in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 23. Three weeks later, he has opened up about the way his life has improved
Butler was talked down from the edge by Nashville Police Officer Mike Hotz. The two are pictured hugging after their exchange
He took a bus to the bridge and stopped on the way to buy a three-piece chicken meal from a gas station. 'I already had in my mind... this is my last meal,' he told WTVF.
After finishing the food, he went to the bridge and started a livestream. He said he did so because he did not want to die alone.
Soon after, Hotz appeared and began talking Butler down from a decision the man now says would have been a terrible mistake.
'I was mad when he first came. I was telling officers not to come closer. "I'll jump if you come any closer,"' Butler said.
But Hotz, who once served on the Nashville Police Department's Crisis Negotiation Team and is a veteran, listened to Butler's problems.
'He cried several times with just absolute frustration, and having been a military combat veteran, I've had more experiences than I can count with the brothers that I served with overseas going through mental crisis and having suicidal thoughts,' the officer told WTVF.
Butler said that Hotz listening 'helped me think and bring myself back into reality that life is important.'
Looking into the camera and addressing the officer during his interview, Butler said: 'I've had no one to talk to or talk to me like you talk to me right now, and what you said really helped me. It really helped me, man.'
Butler said he felt he had no options after struggling with homelessness and mental illness, but he has now found temporary housing, secured medication and is speaking to a therapist
Hotz's shadow is pictured as he approached Butler on the bridge. The officer listened to the troubled man's problems with empathy
When Butler stepped away from the edge, Hotz told him, 'I love you. It's going to be alright,' as the two men hugged.
Shortly after Butler decided not to go through with jumping from the bridge, he created a GoFundMe to help pay for 'therapy appointments, medication, housing, and other essential needs that can help me stabilize and begin to heal.'
He explained that he struggles with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and PTSD.
On the fundraising page, created on August 2, Butler said that after the suicide attempt, he was discharged from the hospital 'without any resources, leads, or housing solutions' and was struggling with 'feeling stuck in the same predicament and still hurting deeply inside.'
But as of Tuesday, the fundraiser has garnered nearly $4,700, and Butler told WTVF that he is in a much better place, having secured temporary housing, medication and a therapist.
He also shared a message to anyone else struggling with similar suicidal thoughts that he experienced.
'I would tell them it's not worth it. I understand, I truly understand because I've been in that situation before, but it's not worth it,' Butler said.
If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.
