Seven years after a jogger pushed a stranger into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge, police are hoping a new stage play will prompt fresh clues about the culprit's identity. The case was closed in 2018 without the assailant being found, despite clear CCTV footage that captured the seemingly random act of violence.
The play, Once Upon a Bridge, tells the story from the perspectives of the three people directly involved: the runner, the victim and the bus driver. Written by Sonya Kelly, it will run at the OSO Arts Centre in Barnes from 17 April, less than two miles from the scene of the crime.
Speaking to The Observer, Kelly said she took several years to write the piece as historical fiction, partly to explore society's changing relationship with justice and anonymity. She noted that the jogger must have known the woman fell, but did not look back, and likely only realised she had fallen in front of a bus when he saw the video later.
The only person to come forward publicly was the bus driver, Olivier Salbris, who swerved to avoid the 33-year-old pedestrian. He was widely praised and appeared on television, but the true motive for the attack remains unknown. Two suspects were arrested and released, and the Metropolitan Police officially closed the case in 2018.
Lydia Sax, artistic director of the OSO Arts Centre, said the severity of the attack and the fact it was never solved are part of why the story continues to resonate. She added that the play offers a fictional sense of justice, as the jogger 'loses everything' due to guilt. The Met has confirmed that although the investigation is closed, anyone with fresh information should contact them directly.
