Witness: Man jumped from Gatlinburg Space Needle

GATLINBURG, Tenn. (WVLT) — The Gatlinburg Police Department says they received a call after 5:30 p.m. Monday reporting that someone had fallen from the Space Needle.

The street below the Space Needle was closed for hours.

Officers say a man in his late fifties jumped from the observation deck around 5:40 Monday night. Hundreds of people were nearby but police did not report that anyone else was hurt.

Typically, Local 8 News does not report on suicides, but because hundreds of people were impacted by what happened, it became necessary to report.

Local 8 News Reporter Heather Burian was live from the scene Monday night at 11. At that time people were walking around with their arms crossed, holding onto their loved ones. Many were visibly shaken by what they saw.

Witnesses say the arcade building caught some of the man’s fall, and they’re thankful no one below was hurt.

Dozens quickly crowded the street to see what happened, others were eating dinner across the street. One man said he was so affected by what happened he had to leave work.

Dakota Hicks said, “This is Gatlinburg, it’s a tourist city. You’ve got kids everywhere. And they don’t really have that thing fenced off. ”

Jonny Bryant said, “It’s a pretty dramatic incident. You know, when I came into work today, I didn’t think I would see a body laying on the sidewalk and then, having to deal with that the rest of the night.”

Many said they were praying for the man’s family. His name will not be released until relatives are notified.