A teenager has been charged with assault after a woman was thrown off a river bridge in central Nelson "to teach her a lesson", police say.
The woman escaped unharmed after falling about six metres to the water below off Collingwood St Bridge, narrowly missing rocks.
The incident occurred on Sunday after the woman and a 17-year-old Nelson youth she knew had a "bit of a dispute" as they were walking along the road, Detective Sergeant Mark Kaveney, of Nelson police, told the Nelson Mail.
He said the youth said he wanted to "teach her a lesson" and knew the water was deep because he had swum there before.
The youth allegedly yelled to some people watching nearby to "watch this".
At one point, the woman feared she would drown because her jeans were pulling her under, Mr Kaveney said.
"It was a stupid thing to do and could have had some serious consequences."
The youth had been charged with assaulting a female.
