Man arrested over 2017 ‘Putney pusher’ incident on south-west London bridge

A man suspected of being the “Putney pusher” who appeared to shove a woman into the path of a bus while jogging on Putney Bridge in south-west London has been arrested nine years after the incident.

On Monday, the Metropolitan police force – which had closed the case in 2018 – announced the arrest of a 44-year-old man on suspicion of causing attempted grievous bodily harm.

A spokesperson said: “The arrest relates to an incident on 5 May 2017, where a woman was pushed into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge.”

The man, who was reportedly arrested at his £1.4m home in west London, was taken into police custody where he remained at lunchtime. The Met spokesperson added: “Inquiries continue.”

Video footage of the incident, which prompted widespread outrage, showed the jogger push a 33-year-old woman into the path of oncoming traffic as she walked across the bridge. She narrowly avoided being struck by the 430 bus thanks to the quick reactions of its driver, Oliver Salbris, who was hailed as a hero.

He told the Sunday Times he thought he was going to hit her. He said: “If I hadn’t swerved, I would have smashed her head. It was reflex. The consequences would have been terrible for her – and for me.”

Salbris said the jogger needed “to be caught and to explain himself”.

At the time, the police said the suspect came jogging back across the bridge about 15 minutes later. The woman tried to speak to him but he did not acknowledge her and continued jogging towards the north side of the River Thames.

In its initial investigation the Met interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects.

The unsolved incident was turned into a play, Once Upon a Bridge, by Sonya Kelly. It told the story through the perspective of the three people immediately involved: the runner, the victim and the driver.

When the play opened in 2024 the Met said they hoped it would encourage anyone with information to come forward.

Kelly also urged people with information to contact the police. She said: “The footage is clear. If he was, say, my cousin I would know him. So if there is somebody watching the play, thinking they have more information, I hope they will come forward.”