Naked Couple Jumps off Tappan Zee Bridge, Woman Dies

New York State police are investigating an incident on Tuesday where a couple jumped naked off the Tappan Zee Bridge. The leap resulted in the woman's death and critical injuries for the man.

State Police investigator Joseph Becerra said, There's an ongoing investigation to determine what their reasons were. We're looking at whether they were distraught or if there were other underlying issues.

The police identified the couple as Alfa Choice, 29, and Christopher Shears, 44. Choice is a former Bronx Science High School biology teacher who had been living with Bronx native Shears in Ithaca. Construction workers saw the two drive up around 9 a.m., get out of a Chevy Taho naked, and climb on top of the vehicle. They then climbed a wall and a fence to reach the work platform from which they jumped.

According to the New York Post, As they stood on the edge of the bridge, it appeared for a moment that Choice had a sudden change of heart, sources said. Staring at the 175-foot drop, Choice hesitated. Cops are looking into the possibility that Shears, determined not to go alone, may have pushed her off -- and then jumped himself. He could be charged in her death, the sources said.

Several other witness reports claim the couple was holding hands before they plunged.

Shears was taken by Nyack Ambulance Corps and Rockland Paramedic Services to Nyack Hospital, where he was said to have undergone surgery. His condition remained critical Tuesday evening, officials said.

Choice earned a bachelor of science in biological sciences in 2003 from Cornell University. In 2004, she earned a master of arts in teaching there. She started the PhD program in education in 2007, but took a leave of absence starting Jan. 22, 2011. She was not enrolled in Cornell at the time of her death, according to Cornell University.