It was an incident that brought rush-hour chaos to motorists on one of the hottest days of the year, but thankfully did not cost any lives.
Some drivers, left frustrated and angry by the disruption to their journeys, on Wednesday night, took to social media to ask why Northumbria Police closed roads for more than seven hours, after a man climbed-up the Tyne Bridge's famous green arch, causing chaos below.
Police, paramedics and firefighters were called to the scene, at around 5.20pm, when a man was spotted climbing up the iconic structure.
The Tyne Bridge was closed off by police, and vehicles already on the crossing were moved off.
Then, as specialist officers were brought in to speak to the man, the High Level Bridge which is only open to buses and taxis, was also shut to prevent drivers using it as an alternative route.
Buses were diverted away from the High Level Bridge until it was reopened by officers at around 10pm.
The closures caused huge disruption to motorists and public transport users alike, with long tailbacks on the Central Motorway, congestion stretching miles back on either side of the bridge, and a number of bus cancellations.
And now Nothumbria Police's lead for mental health, Insp Steve Baker, has explained why it was necessary to keep roads closed for so long.
He said: "Unfortunately it is not uncommon for us to receive calls about someone who is in crisis on one of our region’s bridges.
“There have been countless occasions where officers have saved somebody’s life by talking them into climbing back on the right side of the railings and keeping them safe.
“We also have a street triage team who cover the Northumbria Police force area working alongside trained mental health nurses to ensure they can get people the help they need.
“We do have specialist negotiators to speak to such individuals so that incidents can be brought to a safe conclusion but sometimes we will have to close roads or bridges for their safety and the safety of other road users.
"Often we can deal with these incidents without having to close a road but if an individual is standing over the carriageway then we have little choice but to put diversions in place.
"We know this does have an impact on the general public but when a person is in crisis, their safety has to be our priority and we have to be patient.
"If it was your family member or friend then you would want us to take all possible precautions to keep them safe and get them the help they required."
Insp Baker explained that road closures can sometimes be put in place to protect the safety of drivers as much as that of the person on the bridge.
"If a person falls into traffic then not only will it have severe consequences for that individual but it could cause a road traffic accident that leads to more serious injury," he explained. "Road closures and traffic disruption is something we will try and avoid at all costs but we would ask the public to remain patient and understand that we only take these measures to protect the public and save lives.
"Mental health is a huge challenge facing our society and all partners have to work together to ensure individuals can receive the appropriate support so they don’t find themselves in the same position again in the future.
A Northumbria Police spokesman said another reason for the High Level Bridge's closure was that members of the public were using the river crossing as a vantage point to watch what was going on on the Tyne Bridge.
And Insp Baker has now asked the public to think about others before reaching for their phones to film or photograph anyone in distress or danger on the bridge.
He added: "Unfortunately that does happen and we find ourselves having to ask people to put away their phones and respect the privacy of individuals.
The man was brought to safety during the early hours of the morning.
