London Bridge death: who was ‘hero’ who died in rescue incident - and what happened to the woman who fell?

A man who died after trying to save a woman who’d fallen off London Bridge has been named as 20-year-old Folajimi Olubunmi-Adewole.

Folajimi, who is known as ‘Jimi’ or ‘Jimmy’ by friends, died after leaping into the Thames in the early hours of Saturday (April 24) after he and another stranger saw the woman drop into the river.

Who was Jimmy?

Folajimi was 20 years old and a former pupil at the Harris Academy in Peckham, southeast London.

Paying tribute under the hashtag ‘#jimithehero’ on Twitter, friends have remembered Folajimi as “a charismatic young man” and a “pure hearted soul”.

Speaking to The Times, a close friend of Folajimi, Joseph Sowole, said that he “wasn’t even slightly surprised” to hear about his friend’s actions in trying to save the woman who fell from London Bridge.

“He was just that kind of person, always trying to help the next person,” he told the paper.

Sir Dan Moynihan, chief executive of the Harris Federation, where Folajimi went to school, said: “This is incredibly sad news. The selflessness of this brave young man has cost him his life in trying to save the life of another.

“A family and friends have been deprived of watching Folajimi enjoy a successful and happy life full of potential. This is a tragic end to a life of promise — selflessly choosing to get involved in a situation many others would have chosen to ignore. His heroism is typical of the altruism, positivity and good grace that his teachers at Harris Academy remember so well.”

What happened in the London Bridge incident?

A woman fell from London Bridge in the early hours of Saturday morning (April 24), and was spotted both by Folajimi and another bystander.

Neither of the men knew the woman who fell, but dived into the river in an attempt to rescue her.

Police marine units and the coastguard attended the scene to try and rescue all three people in the river, but only managed to save the woman and the other man.

Folajimi’s body was not discovered until six hours later following an “extensive search”.

What happened to the woman who fell?

The woman was rescued from the river and it is unknown whether she was later treated in hospital or not.

A City of London police spokesperson said: “We were called at 00.12am on Saturday 24 April to reports of a woman in the River Thames close to London Bridge.

“Two men, who had witnessed the woman fall from the bridge, entered the river to try and save her.

“The coastguard and Metropolitan police marine units were able to rescue the woman and one of the men.

“Sadly, following an extensive search involving police helicopters, marine units, London Fire Brigade, London Ambulance Service and City police officers, the missing man was not located.

“At 06.00 the same morning, a body was found believed to be that of the missing man.

“His next of kin have been made aware and are being supported by officers from the City of London police.”