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(CNN) -

A social media thread proved strong enough to pull a New Jersey teen back from possible suicide, according to authorities.

And it was a social networking first for officers from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Police Department -- using Facebook and other outlets this week to track down and help a troubled 18-year-old whose three-word online posting seemed to say suicide.

"Thinking of jumping," the teen posted to his Facebook profile alongside a photo of the George Washington Bridge spanning the Hudson River.

A concerned Facebook friend who saw the post contacted police in Paterson, N.J., alerting authorities to the apparent suicide threat, according to Port Authority spokesman Joe Pentangelo.

The alert was just the beginning. Pentangelo gave this scenario of events:

Paterson police called Port Authority officers, who serve the major bridges and tunnels of New York and New Jersey.

A photo of the young man was downloaded from his Facebook page and distributed to officers searching the bridge -- unsuccessfully -- for the teen among the bridge's pedestrians.

An officer assigned to Port Authority police's emergency services, Lt. Thomas Michaels, set out to contact the young man through Facebook, leaving his cell phone number on the page and urging the teen to call him.

And Port Authority Sgt. Nadine Rhem also took to Facebook, sending more offers of support and assistance.

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Police use social media to help suicidal teen