Dad defends dangling child: A man who dangled his small child over a bridge in Grand Rapids, Mich., defended his actions, saying that she was was never in any danger.
The child, who is 4 years old, was playing on the outside portion of the bridge and was captured on video by a photojournalist.
Hans Jansma, the father, told WOOD-TV that he believes she was in no danger.
“I’m not going to put my daughter in any harm,” he said. “That’s crazy.”
In the video, Jansma and another person are standing on the bridge behind the guard railing while the child looks up at him.
Jansma had a rope tied around the waist of the girl and he was holding it, referring to it as a “safety rope.”
He said that she wanted to go out there, KSDK reported.
“I felt comfortable with the ability of the rope to support the weight of my daughter. I feel comfortable supporting my own weight with that rope,” he said.
Grand Rapids and other parts of the Midwest were recently hammered with heavy rains over the past week, causing rivers to flood.
The Grand River on Wednesday receded from record-setting levels, falling around two feet, reported The Associated Press.
Officials said around 700 people were evacuated in Kent County.
