Archival News: November 28, 1993 Man Who Leaped With Son Off Bridge Was in Bitter Divorce

November 28, 1993

SAN FRANCISCO — A man who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge with his son in his arms appeared untroubled only hours earlier, when he spent Thanksgiving with relatives, family members said.

The Coast Guard identified the man as Filomeno Maninag de la Cruz, 37, of Daly City. His body was recovered soon after he jumped Thursday afternoon. The search for the child's body was suspended late Thursday.

Relatives said Cruz left a family gathering about 4 p.m. Thursday. He jumped about an hour later.

He was going through a bitter divorce and custody dispute, the relatives said, adding that he told them he planned to return to the Philippines with his son, Michael.

The Thanksgiving Day tragedy was the second time in less than a year that a man plunged to his death from the bridge taking a child with him.

The Coast Guard said the child was 2 years old.

There have been 940 known deaths from jumping or being tossed from the span since it opened in 1937. Twenty-two people are known to have survived the plunge.

http://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-28/news/mn-61807_1_bitter-divorce

Student Survives Jump From Golden Gate Bridge

A field trip that included a walk along the Golden Gate Bridge ended with a student jumping off the bridge Thursday morning.
The unnamed student survived and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where he was reportedly being treated for injuries that included a bruised tailbone and a torn lung.
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Windsor High School superintendent Bill McDermott said the boy did not suffer any life threatening injuries. The boy's only complaint to paramedics on the scene was soreness and some bruising.
Surfers came to his rescue and helped him to shore.
The surfers said the boy told them he jumped for "fun." Early reports that he was dared to jump proved false. Students at the high school told reporters they did not dare him to jump, adding he came up with the idea on his own.
The CHP Marin said in a release it will charge the youth:

The CHP Marin Area will be recommending trespassing charges through the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office for the 17-year-old’s unlawful activities on the Golden Gate Bridge. This charge includes the activities of climbing on any railing, cable, suspender rope, tower, or superstructure not intended for public use. This violation is a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding one year, by a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), or by both that imprisonment and fine.
Friday a California Highway Patrol spokesman said the boy should be charged with trespassing for climbing the bridge and that he should undergo a psychological evaluation. He said the jump was not a suicide attempt.
The student did not jump from the center of the bridge which is 250-feet. He went over the edge from an area between Fort Point and the South tower, which is about 220-feet above the water. He had to climb over a four foot railing to get to the water's edge.
There were about 45 students and two teachers from Windsor High School in Sonoma County taking part in a field trip. At least two of the students tweeted about the jump while they were still on the field trip.
The school said counselors were on hand to assist anyone on the trip that may have been traumatized by the incident, according to a press release from the school.
Marin CHP officer Chris Rardin said that the boy could face trespassing charges in the case.