Putney Pusher suspect, 44, found dead at home – nine years after woman shoved under bus in mystery attack

THE prime suspect in the Putney Pusher investigation has been found dead at his home, The Sun can reveal. The wealthy banker, 44, was found dead last night at his home in Chiswick, West London. Cops released images of the ‘Putney Pusher’ in a desperate bid to find the man who knocked a woman in front of a bus Credit: Handout Shocking CCTV footage released by police showing a jogger pushing a woman into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge Credit: Enterprise Ambulance and police attended the address where he was pronounced dead. The Met said: “At 19.12hrs on Tuesday, 15 September officers and the London Ambulance Service attended an address in Chiswick, Hounslow after a man was found unresponsive inside a property. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! “Sadly, a 44-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His next-of-kin have been informed. “At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious. The horror happened on May 5, with the jogger captured running across the bridge at 7.41am CCTV footage captured the horrifying incident, with the female victim surviving the shove as the bus driver managed to react in time “A file will be prepared for the coroner in due course.” A London Ambulance Service spokesperson added: “We were called at 7.55pm on Tuesday 15 September to reports of an incident. “We sent resources to the scene including an ambulance crew, a paramedic in a fast response car, an advanced paramedic and a clinical team manager. “Very sadly, a person was pronounced dead at the scene.” Most read in The Sun The former Army officer was under investigation by police over the Putney Bridge incident in which a jogger pushed a woman into the path of an on-coming bus on 5 May, 2017. No charges were brought. Shocking CCTV images showed the 12-ton bus narrowly missing the woman on the bridge spanning the River Thames in South West London. Detectives interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects, including an American investment banker who wasn’t in the country at the time. The investigation was wound down the following year over a lack of any viable leads. His arrest followed his separation from his second wife, with whom he had a young son. The family is believed to have lived in Fulham, not far from Putney Bridge. It is understood police were contacted by someone close to his estranged wife with information about the Putney Pusher. The banker was held on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm (GBH). While in custody he was further arrested on suspicion of possessing Class A and B drugs, believed to be cocaine and cannabis. He was bailed later that day. His bail – which extends for a maximum of three months – was cancelled last week. Detectives informed him he was being kept under investigation though without any conditions or length of time. One source said: “He felt like he had become a hate figure for the entire world. “He was a brilliant man with many talents but was also very human. It is a tragedy.” The suspect was a decorated former British Army Captain who served in Iraq, Bosnia, and Afghanistan during years’ service between 2004 and 2012. He was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal during his distant relative’s celebrations in 2012. In an update announced earlier this month, cops confirmed the banker was released under investigation while detectives continued to work on the mysterious case. This meant he was not subject to any bail conditions or required to return to a police station, but would be notified about the investigation’s outcome. Detectives have interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects since the wake of the incident on Putney Bridge. No suspect has been charged in the case, which has become one of Britain’s most famous unsolved mysteries. The country was shocked when chilling CCTV footage showed the mysterious jogger shove his victim, a total stranger, into oncoming traffic. The 33-year-old woman was launched into a busy lane on Putney Bridge at around 7.40am on May 5, 2017. She narrowly avoided death when, fortunately, hero bus driver Olivier Salbris managed to swerve within seconds of hitting her. The quick-thinking manoeuvre meant the driver brought the number 430 bus to a stop just inches from her head as she lay on the ground. Astonishingly, the grey-shirted assailant then returned to the chaotic scene – running in the opposite direction – about 15 minutes after pushing his victim. The callous jogger then seemingly vanished into thin air after heading into Fulham, South West London. Police described the man as white, in his 30s with short brown hair and brown eyes and wearing a light grey T-shirt, dark blue shorts, and grey trainers. Detectives were perplexed over why nobody was able to recognise the man at the time. Speculation over his identity was rife as the incident continued to grip the public imagination. The incident even inspired a play – Once Upon a Bridge – by Sonya Kelly, written from the perspective of the victim, bus driver and jogger. But the suspect’s death now means it is unlikely there will ever be a public hearing into why the jogger lashed out. An inquest will take place into the cause of his death in due course. It is unlikely any evidence will be included on whether he was or not the Putney Pusher. If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123.