Teen Says Friend Asked to Be Pushed Off Washington Bridge

The girl who pushed her friend off a 60-foot bridge over a Washington river is speaking out for the first time after she was charged with one count of reckless endangerment on Friday. 

Police filed charges against 18-year-old Taylor Smith after a declaration of probable cause from the arresting officer that said, in part, "It is clear that Taylor Smith engaged in conduct which created a substantial risk of death and resulted in serious physical injury to Jordan Holgerson."

Smith faces one year in jail and a $5,000 fine if the she is convicted. Smith was seen pushing her friend, 16-year-old Jordan Holgerson off a 60-foot bridge over the Lewis River near Vancouver, Washington, Aug 7 in video that went viral online and grabbed national headlines. The 18-year-old admitted to pushing her friend off the bridge, telling authorities that she didn't mean to injure Holgerson and it was only an attempt to help her friend overcome her fear. 

"She wanted to jump and she was scared and she had asked me to give her a push, and I didn't think about the consequences," Smith told ABC News

Holgerson told KATU that she initially went up to jump off the bridge after seeing a friend do it, but changed her mind after seeing how high it was. 

"I thought she would be fine," added Smith.

The 16-year-old suffered multiple injuries after she belly-flopped onto the water, including broken ribs and punctured lungs. 

In a longer video obtained by NBC News, footage showed Smith repeatedly pressuring Holgerson to jump, with Smith telling her friend at one point, "I'm going to push you." 

Holgerson can be heard replying, "No." 

Smith has apologized to Holgerson both publically and privately, but says the 16-year-old is no longer speaking with her. 

Holgerson told The Today Show that she wanted Smith to "sit in jail and think about ... what she did." 


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content

Â