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Teen who pushed friend off bridge speaks out as prosecutors consider charges

Taylor Smith, 18, tells NBC News she has apologized and "feels really bad" for pushing friend Jordan Holgerson off a 60-foot span over a river in Washington state earlier this month.
/ Source: TODAY

Washington state authorities have identified the young woman who pushed a teenage friend off a bridge, sending her plunging into a river 60 feet below, and are contemplating whether to file charges.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that 18-year-old Taylor Smith has been cooperating with investigators, who have finished their probe and forwarded the case to the county prosecutor’s office for potential charges.

Police said Smith pushed 16-year-old Jordan Holgerson off a bridge at Moulton Falls Regional Park on Aug. 7. The younger teen plunged more than three stories before belly flopping into the river below, a fall that resulted in six broken ribs, two punctured lungs and multiple internal injuries and cuts. The girl also has a mass behind her windpipe.

Smith, who would not go on camera, told NBC News in a text that she has apologized repeatedly to Holgerson and “feels really bad about what happened.”

She also said she has kept away from home because she has been receiving threats.

Bridge-pusher identified; prosecutors mull charges
Taylor Smith, 18, has been identified as the young woman who pushed her friend off a 60-foot bridge in Washington state earlier this month. Courtesy of Ashley Mahree

The entire incident was captured in a chilling video clip that ricocheted across the internet. It has since been removed from social media.

“I could've died, easily,” Holgerson she said in an interview from the hospital days after the incident.

Trauma surgeon MaryClare Sarff said when a fall is three times a person’s height, there’s a 50 percent chance of death. Holgerson’s drop was far greater.

"When you're falling that high, from that height, the water is like concrete," Sarff said.

Holgerson said she received a single apology, via text, by Smith.

She’s now at home recovering, but continues to have a hard time breathing, she said. Doctors said it may take months to fully heal.