The former Bronx HS of Science teacher who died in a naked suicide plunge off the Tappan Zee Bridge with her boyfriend was an unassuming intellectual known for diligently pursuing her Ph.D. at Cornell, teachers and classmates said yesterday.
Alfa Choice — whose boyfriend survived the fall — had been going to the Ivy League university ever since she received a scholarship to pursue an undergrad degree in biology there.
“I was taken aback,” said a classmate who’d known her four years. “It didn’t seem like her at all.”
Why the Bronx native would want to end her life remains a mystery — but there were some signs she was struggling.
After years of overachieving — including earning her master’s in education — she abruptly took a leave of absence in January.
A witness who saw Choice, 29, and Christopher Shears, 44, before they jumped said they calmly exited their car.
“Do you really want to do this?” the witness shouted.
Shears, also a Bronx native, muttered “yep” twice.
“You definitely saw the affection between them,” said the witness.
Police are probing whether Shears actually pushed Choice after she had some last-minute hesitation, a law enforcement source said.
Shears is in critical condition and may be paralyzed, sources said.