Jason Galyean Nominated After Orwell Bridge Rescue — Ipswich Star

ipswich star reports that Jason Galyean, the 39-year-old martial arts fighter who runs Embrace the Grind gym in Ipswich, was nominated by Suffolk police for a Royal Humane Society award after rescuing a man from the Orwell Bridge in early February. The recognition follows the bridge rescue and places his intervention before the awards body that honours acts of bravery in saving life or effecting resuscitations.

Jason Galyean and the Orwell Bridge

Galyean said his wife Michaela spotted the man while they were in the car. He said, "My wife was driving and I did not even notice him at first. I had my head in my phone."

He added, "She said, 'look, there is someone sitting on the edge' and I just said 'pull over, pull over'." Galyean then went to the man and described what happened next: "I went to grab him. He tried to kick himself off and luckily, I had a good enough grip on him, I was able to drag him over and he put up a fight."

Suffolk Police nomination

After the rescue, Suffolk police nominated him for the Royal Humane Society award. The society’s awards recognise acts of bravery in saving life or effecting resuscitations, placing Galyean’s intervention in that formal recognition process rather than treating it as an informal commendation.

Galyean said the man’s state changed during the encounter. "He said, 'let me do it, let me do it, I have made my decision' and I said 'you have got people who love you, don't do it." He added, "I said to him, 'God loves you, there are people who love you' and I cuddled him," and said the man was "a lot more relaxed" by the time police arrived.

Galyean in Felixstowe

Galyean is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and lives with his family in Felixstowe. He has three children, Ivy, eight, Chloe, 13, and Jack, 19. He also said he could not take credit for the recognition: "I can't really take any credit. It wasn't a choice thing. I would like to think everyone else would act the same."

The rescue came months after Galyean was hospitalised in September by a bleed on the brain caused by a cavernoma. For him, the award nomination now sits alongside that earlier health crisis and the decision to step in on the Orwell Bridge, where his own account shows the rescue depended on a split-second response from him and Michaela together.