admin
A multi-millionaire banker descended from royalty has been arrested by police hunting the ‘Putney Pusher’, the Daily Mail can exclusively reveal.
The suspect was detained today at his £1.4million home in west London.
A director at a private bank, he is a decorated former British Army officer who served in several major conflicts.
His arrest comes nearly ten years after a jogger shoved a female pedestrian into the path of a double-decker bus on Putney Bridge.
The horrifying incident on May 5, 2017, was captured on CCTV which went viral and garnered international headlines.
Detectives interviewed 50 men and arrested three suspects, including an American investment banker – who was able to prove that he was in the US at the time.
No suspect was ever charged and the case became one of Britain’s most compelling unsolved cases.
The investigation was closed in 2018 before new information came to light that led to today’s dramatic development.
Nine years ago, police released dramatic CCTV footage of the moment this jogger appeared to push a woman into the path of an incoming bus on Putney Bridge
The jogger approaching the pedestrian during the morning rush hour on Putney Bridge
The jogger was seen pushing the victim into the path of the incoming vehicle. The driver swerved and missed the woman’s head by inches
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said today: ‘On Monday, 15 June, a 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm.
‘He was taken to police custody, where he remains.
‘The arrest relates to an incident on 5 May 2017, where a woman was pushed into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge in Putney.
‘Inquiries continue.’
The suspect has familial links to some of Europe’s leading royal dynasties, including the House of Windsor.
Since leaving the British Army, he has enjoyed a successful career in the City and advises a string of high-net-worth individuals and institutions.
Posts on review sites describe him as friendly and popular with clients and colleagues.
The Putney Pusher incident took place on Putney Bridge during rush hour at around 7.40am.
A woman was walking southwards when the jogger approached her from the opposite direction.
Another CCTV still of the ‘Putney Pusher’ on the day of the shocking incident
There was plenty of room on the footpath for him to skirt around her safely, but instead the man forcefully shoved her onto the road – directly in the path of an incoming 430 bus going at 12mph.
Thanks to the lightning reactions of the driver, Oliver Salbris, the bus missed the 33-year-old victim’s head by inches, and she survived largely physically unscathed.
The jogger continued his run across Putney Bridge without so much as a backward glance.
After the vehicle stopped, passers-by rushed to help the shaken woman – who has never been publicly identified.
Then, incredibly, the jogger returned in the opposite direction about 15 minutes later, passing the victim again while she was still being assisted on the bridge. He ignored her calls to stop.
At the time, the suspect was described as a white man in his early to mid-30s, with a stocky build and short brown hair. He was wearing a grey T-shirt and dark blue shorts.
Despite the lack of progress in the police investigation, public fascination endured, and in 2024 the case inspired a play called Once Upon a Bridge, written by Irish playwright Sonya Kelly and performed at the OSO Arts Centre in nearby Barnes.
The bus driver that day was Oliver Salbris, who was hailed a hero for his quick reactions
The drama reimagined the incident from the perspectives of the three central figures – the jogger, the victim and the bus driver.
In April, Mr Salbris told the Mail that he would never forget what he saw.
‘I always think about the case and I still drive over Putney Bridge several times a day,’ he said. ‘Whenever I’m on the bridge, I look very carefully at the pedestrians on the pavement, I just can’t help it. I wouldn’t say it haunts me, but it’s not something I can easily forget.
‘I’m glad my reactions were quick on that day, or it would have ended very differently, both for me and the woman who was pushed. Her head was only a few centimetres from the bus and the wheel, even after I swerved to avoid her.’
Mr Salbris immediately brought the bus to a halt, blocking the bus lane on the busy commuter route for six or seven minutes.
‘After the bus stopped, I got out and spoke to her and gave her all my details in case she needed me as a witness with the police. A female passenger also got off and helped her, then I believe walked with her to contact the police.
‘I remember the victim asking me, ”What happened?” and ”Why? Why? Why?” She asked me ”Why me?”’
- To find out how Rory Tingle revealed a bombshell update on the Putney Pusher case sign up to The Crime Desk newsletter HERE
The crime mystery that transfixed millions
May 5, 2017 at 7.40am – A 33-year-old woman was walking along the pedestrian path on Putney Bridge during rush hour when a male jogger running in the opposite direction pushes her into the road and right into the path of a number 430 bus. Within milliseconds, bus driver Oliver Salbris swerves the bus to narrowly miss the victim.
May 5, 2017 at 7.55am – Around 15 minutes later the same jogger ran back across the bridge on the opposite side. The victim recognised him and tried to call after him but he ignored her and continued running toward Fulham.
August 8, 2017 – Police first release CCTV footage of the ‘Putney Pusher’, three months after the incident occurred. The delayed response sparks public outrage.
August 10, 2017 – Officers arrested 41-year-old Eric Bellquist at his home in Chelsea, west London, after several callers identified him based on the viral CCTV footage. He was an American investment banker working in London. His lawyers proved he was on holiday in California at the time of the incident and he was released on bail.
August 12, 2017 – A second man, aged 44, was arrested and interviewed but was released on the same day. A third man was also arrested but quickly released.
June 28, 2018 – After investigating more than 50 ‘persons of interest’ who they believed could have been the ‘Putney Pusher’ and making several arrests, officers were still unable to find the perpetrator. On June 28, 2018, police announced the investigation has been closed.
April 17, 2024 – The case comes back into the public eye after playwright Sonya Kelly writes the play Once Upon a Bridge based on the mystery, performed at the OSO Arts Centre in Barnes in 2024. Police hope the renewed attention on the case could prompt fresh clues.
June 15, 2026 – In a major breakthrough revealed exclusively by the Daily Mail, police arrest a man in his 40s suspected of being the ‘Putney Pusher’.
newspost
poster
