NY NY - Thomas Medlin, 15, Stony Brook, 9 Jan 2026

[CityKid]

Nor mine. This is so so tragic if true.
I'm going to go ahead and say it, they need to follow San Francisco's example with the Golden Gate bridge and finally install deterrents on their bridges. A camera system isn't good enough.

The Manhattan Bridge has tall deterrent fences along the pedestrian walkways. I attached a link for a photo (I would have walked over to take my own photo but this weather! OMG!). The fences are high and angled in, making them hard to climb.

Walking the Manhattan Bridge Pedestrian Path – Helpful Guide & Map

Learn more about the Manhattan Bridge walk between Brooklyn and Manhattan, including entrance points, photography tips, and a helpful map.

triptins.com

 

[CityKid]

The Sun

The Best for News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities

www.the-sun.com

Just sharing link…

The family are worried the splash revelation may force people to conclude Thomas drowned and want cops to retract the statement which, he claims, was made without the family’s go-ahead.

Does anyone know if it's common in police investigations for police to consult the family before they report the sound of a splash? MOO and I don't know how loud the splash was, but I wouldn't be assuming it was someone who fell/jumped from the bridge.

 

[CityKid]

After hearing this podcast with his mom, the first thing I thought was suicide. That kid has so much pressure on him.. the way his mom talked about him.. ugh. How could he live up to that. It’s so sad. Poor kid. I’m also sure there’s a lot that wasn’t said.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/have-a-seat-with-chris-hansen/id1543252280?i=1000747050319

Thanks. I read the transcript at the link and the mom says he took the "57 subway" from GCT then the subway to High Street in Brooklyn. There's a 5 (goes north-south on the east side, which heads downtown, where he was spotted), and a 7 (which goes east-west), but the subways that go to High Street are the A and C (both west side lines), which leave you near Cadman Plaza and is much closer to the Brooklyn Bridge. Possible he wasn't telling her the truth?

 

[moonglow123]

The Manhattan Bridge has tall deterrent fences along the pedestrian walkways. I attached a link for a photo (I would have walked over to take my own photo but this weather! OMG!). The fences are high and angled in, making them hard to climb.

Walking the Manhattan Bridge Pedestrian Path – Helpful Guide & Map

Learn more about the Manhattan Bridge walk between Brooklyn and Manhattan, including entrance points, photography tips, and a helpful map.

triptins.com

Yeah. I've walked along the bridge before too, hard but not impossible to climb those fences. I know I've heard of other suicides off of it too.

The bridge is heavily traversed on better weather days, but in this bitter cold ... I could see no one else being on the bridge at the same time he was. And him waiting until there were no trains passing.

Sad for sure.

 

[CityKid]

Yeah. I've walked along the bridge before too, hard but not impossible to climb those fences. I know I've heard of other suicides off of it too.

The bridge is heavily traversed on better weather days, but in this bitter cold ... I could see no one else being on the bridge at the same time he was. And him waiting until there were no trains passing.

Sad for sure.

From this link, Jan. 9 was high 48, low 32. It was a Friday night and MOO there could have definitely been people heading home after work or to the city for dinner walking the bridge last night. (Not in the last 10 days, for sure, though!)

National Weather Service

preview-forecast.weather.gov

IIRC correctly, the ferries weren't suspended till this past Tuesday, after last weekend's storm.

NYC, NJ ferry services disrupted by ice on Hudson River

While the Staten Island Ferry is running as usual (thanks to the hefty size of its boats), NYC Ferry services are completely suspended until conditions improve.

abc7ny.com

 

[warp3dwing]

It sounds like he might have taken the 6 to the F from GCT. LE originally stated they were following leads around Cherry and Rutgers Streets then Jay and Sands Streets.

I don't know if those were determined from sightings or mobile geolocation. Cherry & Rutgers coincides with the F train's path, so if it was mobile geolocation, he might have just been on the train at that point. If they have visuals, perhaps he got out at the E. Broadway stop only to find that it's quite difficult to get up to the bridge's pedestrian walkway from there.

York St. seems the likeliest exit point, which is right by the stairs to the bridge's walkway. It's about a 10-13 minute walk to the center of the bridge. If Thomas's last known location was on the bridge at 19:06, then it must have been a location fairly well along the bridge if the substantial splash was recorded four minutes later. Oh, Thomas. Society failed you.

 

[sunflowermomma]

If this unfortunately does turn out to be suicide, this is the third suicide of a NYC-area teen attending a prestigious school this school year.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

The Manhattan Bridge has tall deterrent fences along the pedestrian walkways. I attached a link for a photo (I would have walked over to take my own photo but this weather! OMG!). The fences are high and angled in, making them hard to climb.

Walking the Manhattan Bridge Pedestrian Path – Helpful Guide & Map

Learn more about the Manhattan Bridge walk between Brooklyn and Manhattan, including entrance points, photography tips, and a helpful map.

triptins.com

Thank you for letting me know about the fences. Someone had said it's a known place to go to jump, so I assumed otherwise. If people are getting past what's there, I wonder if something can be done about that. But good to know there's something.

If it turns out this boy still jumped -- where do they go from here to help prevent the next time?
It's so very sad.

 

[SimplyCass]

Having followed similar cases before, some things stand out:

1) people can travel long distances. Alison Bayliss traveled from Danville, CA and her bike was found near the Golden Gate Bridge.
2) His body, if he did jump, may never be found. Alison Bayliss has never been found. Neither has Sydney West, also believed to have jumped from the GGB.
3) CCTV bridge footage is always going to be focused on safety and the broader picture, and not specifically on people who may jump. Sydney West was seen on the bridge, before it became very foggy, and then she wasn't spotted leaving.
4) IMO, it's not just the splash. It's the splash, and CCTV, and the end of the data trail, which all sequentially point to him jumping.
5) People may act and seem completely normal up until the moment they decide to end their lives. It's a stereotype/myth that suicidal people are dark and depressed.

Thank you for letting me know about the fences. Someone had said it's a known place to go to jump, so I assumed otherwise. If people are getting past what's there, I wonder if something can be done about that. But good to know there's something.

If it turns out this boy still jumped -- where do they go from here to help prevent the next time?
It's so very sad.

On the GG Bridge, various patrol teams and other workers are trained to look for potential jumpers and intervene. They also have signs and phones basically begging people to not jump (something like 'jumping is fatal and irreversible).

 

[investikater]

Having followed similar cases before, some things stand out:

1) people can travel long distances. Alison Bayliss traveled from Danville, CA and her bike was found near the Golden Gate Bridge.
2) His body, if he did jump, may never be found. Alison Bayliss has never been found. Neither has Sydney West, also believed to have jumped from the GGB.
3) CCTV bridge footage is always going to be focused on safety and the broader picture, and not specifically on people who may jump. Sydney West was seen on the bridge, before it became very foggy, and then she wasn't spotted leaving.
4) IMO, it's not just the splash. It's the splash, and CCTV, and the end of the data trail, which all sequentially point to him jumping.
5) People may act and seem completely normal up until the moment they decide to end their lives. It's a stereotype/myth that suicidal people are dark and depressed.



On the GG Bridge, various patrol teams and other workers are trained to look for potential jumpers and intervene. They also have signs and phones basically begging people to not jump (something like 'jumping is fatal and irreversible).

Why do people travel so far sometimes?

 

[investikater]

The Manhattan Bridge has tall deterrent fences along the pedestrian walkways. I attached a link for a photo (I would have walked over to take my own photo but this weather! OMG!). The fences are high and angled in, making them hard to climb.

Walking the Manhattan Bridge Pedestrian Path – Helpful Guide & Map

Learn more about the Manhattan Bridge walk between Brooklyn and Manhattan, including entrance points, photography tips, and a helpful map.

triptins.com

Thanks very much for that.
How tall are they?
Do jumpers need to bring equipment to get over them?

 

[investikater]

From this link, Jan. 9 was high 48, low 32. It was a Friday night and MOO there could have definitely been people heading home after work or to the city for dinner walking the bridge last night. (Not in the last 10 days, for sure, though!)

National Weather Service

preview-forecast.weather.gov

IIRC correctly, the ferries weren't suspended till this past Tuesday, after last weekend's storm.

NYC, NJ ferry services disrupted by ice on Hudson River

While the Staten Island Ferry is running as usual (thanks to the hefty size of its boats), NYC Ferry services are completely suspended until conditions improve.

abc7ny.com

How could he have had time to climb over then?
It looks really difficult trying to get a grip for your hands and feet.

 

[investikater]

Yeah. I've walked along the bridge before too, hard but not impossible to climb those fences. I know I've heard of other suicides off of it too.

The bridge is heavily traversed on better weather days, but in this bitter cold ... I could see no one else being on the bridge at the same time he was. And him waiting until there were no trains passing.

Sad for sure.

Do you know how the previous jumpers you've heard of managed it? Did they bring equipment like climbing aids or fence cutting tools?

 

[investikater]

The Sun

The Best for News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities

www.the-sun.com

Just sharing link…

The family are worried the splash revelation may force people to conclude Thomas drowned and want cops to retract the statement which, he claims, was made without the family’s go-ahead.

Is his Dad right about the timeline not being long enough?

"But angry dad Jim exclusively told The U.S. Sun he visited the exact spot where the authorities are questioning the drop into the water on Wednesday and said that the cops’ avenue of investigation “didn’t add up.”

“The times are not correlating. They say the splash came from the Manhattan side, but if you were running from 6.58pm, you couldn’t make it across the bridge that fast,” he said.

“There is no evidence. There are no pictures of him coming off the bridge, and the camera angles are obscured by fences and elevation changes.”"

"Suffolk County police said the footage placed Thomas on the pedestrian walkway of the Manhattan Bridge at about 7:06pm on the day he left Stony Brook School and headed to Manhattan by train.

The last cellphone activity was at 7:09pm – and a minute later a splash was captured in the river.

“Here is the problem,” Jim continued. “ I walked that bridge as fast as I could yesterday; in seven minutes, I hadn’t even reached the water yet—I was still over land. It took another four minutes to finally be over the water. It doesn’t add up.”"

 

[moonglow123]

Thanks very much for that.
How tall are they?
Do jumpers need to bring equipment to get over them?

They're maybe 8-10 feet tall. But as you can see in the photo, you could potentially stand on the lower fence and use it to hoist yourself over the higher fence. It would be tough, but not impossible and that's how others have done it

Man takes fatal jump off Manhattan Bridge, landing on FDR Drive: cops – amNewYork

A man took a fatal plunge Sunday morning off the Manhattan Bridge, landing on the FDR Drive roadway below, police confirmed.

www.amny.com

Here's a story of a man jumping from the pedestrian walkway, he just did it closer to the start of the bridge so he did not land in the water.

And while there may have been other people walking or biking on the bridge at the time Thomas was there, it's also possible there weren't at that given time. Or there were some in front of Thomas (that wouldn't have seen/heard him) but not behind him. It's really a crapshoot as to whether there will be other people around at night.

I sadly do think it's likely he committed suicide though I do feel sorry for his family, it's a horrible thing to imagine and there's no telling when his body will be found.

 

[investikater]

The Sun

The Best for News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities

www.the-sun.com

Just sharing link…

The family are worried the splash revelation may force people to conclude Thomas drowned and want cops to retract the statement which, he claims, was made without the family’s go-ahead.

"Thomas is described as white, about 5  feet  4 inches tall and 130 pounds, last seen wearing a black jacket with red stripes, dark sweatpants with white stripes, a black backpack and glasses."

Is that just a typo from the Sun?

 

[investikater]

They're maybe 8-10 feet tall. But as you can see in the photo, you could potentially stand on the lower fence and use it to hoist yourself over the higher fence. It would be tough, but not impossible and that's how others have done it

Man takes fatal jump off Manhattan Bridge, landing on FDR Drive: cops – amNewYork

A man took a fatal plunge Sunday morning off the Manhattan Bridge, landing on the FDR Drive roadway below, police confirmed.

www.amny.com

Here's a story of a man jumping from the pedestrian walkway, he just did it closer to the start of the bridge so he did not land in the water.

And while there may have been other people walking or biking on the bridge at the time Thomas was there, it's also possible there weren't at that given time. Or there were some in front of Thomas (that wouldn't have seen/heard him) but not behind him. It's really a crapshoot as to whether there will be other people around at night.

I sadly do think it's likely he committed suicide though I do feel sorry for his family, it's a horrible thing to imagine and there's no telling when his body will be found.

Thank you.

Yeah I see the lower fence now.
Why did they not continue the mesh all the way down in front of it? Do you need to be able to grab the handrail in slippery conditions?
It's not the best design.

 

[investikater]

The Sun

The Best for News, Sport, Showbiz, Celebrities

www.the-sun.com

Just sharing link…

The family are worried the splash revelation may force people to conclude Thomas drowned and want cops to retract the statement which, he claims, was made without the family’s go-ahead.

"“We conducted a thorough review to support law enforcement’s investigation and found no attempts to direct him to an off-platform communication method or sharing of off-platform contact information, including usernames, phone numbers or other communication methods,” they added.

“We will continue to provide any assistance we can.”

But Jim told The U.S. Sun he has subsequently found three Roblox accounts his family had no idea about.

“They are researching these now,” he added."

His Mum mentioned other emails and accounts he had made in the video I posted earlier also.

Why would he need 4 roblox accounts though?

Kids don't seem to get banned much. I'm not sure what behaviour earns a permaban?

Could he have been playing on multiple sockpuppet accounts on multiple devices at once to earn extra points make extra progress etc?

Or is this nefarious in some way?

 

[moonglow123]

Yeah. I don’t want to be disrespectful to his family, I can’t imagine the hurt they’re going through right now. But I don’t think it’s unrealistic for Thomas to have jumped. I’m not sure the father’s assertion is correct.

It seems like a long way to go to commit suicide, but realistically his school is literally a one minute walk from the train station. It’s not a hard journey into the city. There are no easily accessible high bridges on Long Island he could’ve jumped from, and we don’t know the reason he may have picked that method.

Stony Brook School, as others have said is very prestigious and tough and competitive. The public high schools on Long Island are very bad with academic pressure, I can’t imagine what a very costly private mostly boarding school is like. Maybe he was having a difficult time from the pressure. All just very sad to think about.

Yeah, I think the gap is left so people still have a railing to grab onto if they need. Especially in icy conditions like this. But the dark side is that jumpers can use it to stand up on. Very tragic.

All this being said, I do hope his family can still investigate other angles or theories they may have. Don’t wanna disrespect them and this is truly a horrible situation.