Man saved by officer from bridge ledge breaks his silence: ‘It’s not worth it’

A moment that began with a man standing on the edge of a Nashville bridge ended with an emotional embrace and a second chance at life. Weeks later, 44-year-old Gary Butler is speaking publicly about what happened and the officer who refused to walk away.

On July 23, Metro Nashville Police Lieutenant Mike Hotz spotted Butler on the Victory Memorial Bridge above the Cumberland River. Butler was livestreaming and had told viewers he planned to jump. According to News Channel 5, Hotz approached slowly and began talking to him.

“Hey man, my name’s Mike. Can I just holler at you?” Hotz asked. He told Butler he wanted to help him get through what felt like the worst day of his life. The conversation eventually brought Butler away from the edge and into an emotional hug with the officer.

Hearing “you are loved” when you feel completely alone hits so hard

Butler later revealed just how close he had been to taking his own life. He said that jumping was his plan and that he had even stopped for a three-piece chicken meal because he believed it would be his last.

“I was going to jump off the bridge,” Butler said. He admitted that he became angry when Hotz first approached and warned officers not to come closer. He even threatened to jump if they moved toward him. 

However, Hotz continued talking rather than forcing the situation. Butler said he had felt that nobody was willing to talk with him. He explained that Hotz’s words helped bring him back to the reality that his life mattered. Much like Hotz, a Montana teen also acted on his instincts that saved the life of a drowning man. 

During the encounter, Butler cried as he opened up about his struggles. Hotz later said the tears appeared to reflect deep frustration. His experience as a combat veteran also helped him recognize the seriousness of Butler’s emotional crisis. “I just want you to feel like you are loved here because you are,” Hotz told him.

Hotz has spent years working on overdose prevention in Nashville. He developed the city’s ONEbox program, which placed overdose-reversal kits at more than 500 locations. His work also contributed to Nashville recording one of the country’s highest reductions in drug deaths.

Hotz recently received the Excellence in Protection Award from the DEA at a summit in Orlando. After the bridge incident, he said he stepped away and prayed after Butler accepted help. 

Butler has since found temporary housing. He is also taking his medication and seeing a therapist. Life-or-death situations tend to stick with people, as we recently saw in the statement of a woman after she spent 30-minutes battling for her life.

Looking back, he has a message for anyone who may find themselves in the same place. “It’s not worth it,” Butler said. “I understand, I truly understand. I’ve been in the situation.” Hotz’s message comes from someone who knows how close the decision can feel and how quickly one conversation can change everything.