A Bristol Police sergeant likely saved the life of a man who had climbed to the top of the Mount Hope Bridge Friday morning after a tense standoff.

Bristol Police and harbor officials rushed to the area around the Mount Hope Bridge Friday morning on reports of a potential jumper on the bridge. The call came in just before 10 a.m., prompting police to approach the bridge by land, the Harbor Master's office by water. Portsmouth Police assisted, helping block traffic on the bridge.

Bristol Police Sgt. Ricardo Mourado was among the officers responding, finding the man clinging to the cables on the bridge's center span. Sgt. Maurado initiated a conversation with the man, finally convincing him to climb down after a tense 20 minutes, according to Bristol Police Capt. Brian Burke.

The man was brought to the hospital for observation, but appeared to be unharmed, Capt. Burke said. He declined to specify what Sgt. Maurado said to the man, or whether the man was suicidal. The man is not facing charges, he said.