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Teens credited with saving man from jumping off Lowell bridge twice

LOWELL, Mass. — Two 16-year-old boys are being called heroes for saving a man's life -- twice.

"I could just see it in his eyes the way he was talking he was in pain, he was down,” Justin Petterson said.

Monday night, Justin was about to meet up with Jesse Carrier near the Bridge Street bridge in Lowell when he noticed a man on the wrong side of the railing.

"We asked him what he was doing and he said he had nowhere to go,” Jesse told Boston 25 News.

The teens asked the man to go to a nearby Dunkin Donuts with them for some coffee and to talk. The man agreed, but as they began walking away the man headed back to the bridge and back over the railing.  This time seemingly more determined to jump.

"He ended up opening up his hands like he was going to fall backward and me and Justin ended up grabbing him and flipping him up back over the railing,” Jesse said.

Jesse called 911 and the man was taken away in an ambulance.

Tuesday - the boys received a message from the man's younger sister saying: “Thank you so much. I'll never be able to put into words how thankful myself and my family are for your heroic actions."

"I feel that no one should have to feel how he was feeling it's not right so I'm glad that helped him and glad he's alright,” Justin told Boston 25 News.

The boys say they want to keep in touch with the man. His sister said he is still in the hospital.