COPS are on the hunt for fresh leads to catch the infamous ‘Putney Pusher’ after he callously threw a woman under a 12-tonne double-decker bus.
Britain was shocked when chilling CCTV footage showed a 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 and narrowly escaped death.
Fortunately, hero bus driver Olivier Salbris managed to swerve within seconds of hitting her.
The quick-thinking maneuver meant he managed to bring the number 430 to a stop just inches from her head as she lay on the ground.
The woman was heard screaming “why me?” after ruthlessly being pushed on May 5, 2017.
Astonishingly, the grey-shirted assailant returned to the chaotic scene about 15 minutes later.
He completely ignored his victim as she tried to confront him about the attack.
This person needs finding as much today as they did back then, there’s something clearly not right here
Peter Bleksley
The callous jogger seemingly vanished into thin air after heading into Fulham, South West London.
After hauling in over 50 suspects, combing through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage, and making two arrests, the cold case was closed in 2018 with no leads.
Research by Clarion Security Systems from 2022 estimated there were over 942,562 public and private CCTV cameras in the capital.
This only added to the mystery and left Brits gobsmacked as to how the Putney Pusher walked free.
At the time, bus driver Olivier told The Sun: “I think the police have done all they can do, but it’s sad he will not be caught.
“He should hand himself in. He needs to face up to what he’s done. What made him do what he did?”
Last year, an ex-detective called out the Putney Pusher again and warned he could still pose a threat to the public.
Peter Bleksley, who founded secret undercover unit SO10, told The Sun: “This person needs finding as much today as they did back then, there’s something clearly not right here.
“Sometimes with serial killers, some of them will kill, then not re-offend for many years.
“It might be on the tube, it might be fatal.”
EXPERT OPINION
Over the years many people have theorised the unidentified jogger could be a spy protected by Government agencies.
But this rumour was squashed by Peter, who said “If you’re dangerous enough to do something like that, it’s even more important he’s caught if it was somebody that works within a government agency.
“Imagine what other crimes they could get up to.”
Meanwhile, Professor Craig Jackson, from Birmingham University, told Good Morning Britain at the time: “What we’re clearly looking at here is an individual who believes he is more important and more valuable than somebody else.
“He plays a game of chicken with this individual and he’s clearly thinking why should he move, it’s his pavement.
“He clearly veers to his right towards this lady and I think he has picked this individual possibly in a moment of madness – what we sometimes call low-impulse-control behaviour – but he’s clearly taking this lady on because he believes he’s in the right, and that’s quite worrying.”
NEW DIRECTION
At present there have been no new clues since 2018.
But, the Met Police are hopeful a new play depicting the horror incident could encourage someone to come forward.
Once Upon a Bridge will be performed just two miles from the bone-chilling scene.
Artistic director at the OSO, Lydia Sax, told the Guardian: “I often wonder why that one individual act mattered so much to so many.
“The severity of the attack was part of it, I think. And the fact it was never solved.”
The play features the point of view from the runner, his victim and bus driver Olivier.
Written by Sonya Kelly, the script explores different theories and possible motives.
“When you look at the CCTV closely there’s a moment you can freeze-frame where the two figures almost seem to waltz together before he pushes her over. I kept thinking about that,” said the playwright.
“But, in fact, of course, he nearly killed her. He must have known that she fell, but doesn’t look back.
“He believed he was not being watched. It seems likely he only realised she fell in front of a bus when he saw the video later.”
She added how she hopes the “clear” footage will help someone who has information “come forward” after watching the play.
