The George Washington Bridge has become suicide central -- with the number of fatal leaps from the span nearly doubling last year.
Thirteen jumpers met tragic ends off the bridge in 2010, up from seven in 2009 and three in 2008, according to statistics provided by the Port Authority, which operates the bridge, under a Freedom of Information Law request by The Post.
The suicides included the September 2010 death of Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi, who had posted on his Facebook page just eight minutes earlier, "jumping of the gw bridge sorry." The shy student felt humiliated when his roommate secretly filmed his intimate encounter with another man and posted the video on the Internet.
Robert Egbert, a spokesman for the Port Authority PBA, blamed the increase in suicides on the decrease in police patrols on the bridge.
"I can tell you, for the most part, they have entirely ended foot patrols and bicycle patrols on this bridge," Egbert said.
PA spokesman Steven Coleman declined to comment on the allegation.
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