Who was Nicholas Brandram? Family deny he was the 'Putney Pusher'
Family deny veteran was the man pictured pushing a woman under a bus in 2019 and blame the Metropolitan Police for his death.
Nicholas Brandram was "not the Putney pusher", his family has said, and has blamed the Metropolitan Police for his death.
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The 44-year-old was found dead at his home in Chiswick, west London, on Wednesday, and police said his death was "unexpected" but not suspicious.
On Thursday, his family released a furious statement, blaming the Metropolitan Police for his death, stating that they knew he was not the runner filmed pushing a woman in front of a bus in 2017, yet failed to clear his name.
The Met closed the investigation in 2018 but arrested Mr Brandram in June 2026, which the family said led to him wrongly facing the "shame, anxiety, humiliation" of the allegations.
In a statement on Thursday, they said: "The Met Police knew he was not [the Putney pusher].
"And yet, when Nick died, they had still failed formally to clear his name. That is a source of profound grief and anger for our family."
The Metropolitan Police said it has referred itself to the police watchdog, the IOPC.
An IOPC spokesperson said: “We have received a mandatory referral from the Met Police relating to prior contact officers had with Nicholas Brandram, who was sadly found unresponsive and declared deceased on 15 September.
"We are currently assessing the referral before deciding whether further action is required from us.”
Who was Nicholas Brandram?
Nicholas Brandram was a 44-year-old director at HSBC, a former captain in the British Army who served on tours in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Bosnia, and a descendant of Queen Victoria.
He was arrested on June 15 on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm in relation to the 2017 Putney Bridge incident.
Officers searched his house and subsequently rearrested him for possession of Class A and Class B drugs – believed to be cocaine and cannabis.
Mr Brandram was bailed the same day and released under investigation in September.
In 2013, he admitted to driving without due care and attention and to failing to stop after a road accident in which he hit a cyclist while on a motorbike.
His family said: "This was not evidence that emerged months later; it was provided to the police within days of Nick’s arrest."
Their statement added that he "took his own life after months of immense pressure caused by a Metropolitan Police investigation".
Who was the Putney Pusher?
The Putney Pusher, who shoved a woman in front of the 340 bus while jogging on Putney Bridge in May 2017, has never been identified.
After a clip showing the incident went viral, it led to debates around who the offender was and why he might have acted in such a way.
The Metropolitan Police questioned 50 people in relation to the incident, and three individuals were detained, all of whom were later released, and the investigation was closed in May 2018.
The woman who was pushed has never been named and escaped with minor injuries thanks to the quick reaction of the London bus driver, Oliver Salbris.
She confronted the pusher later when he jogged back across the bridge, but she said he ignored her.
Police arrested Nicholas Brandham in June 2026 after reopening their investigation, but he was not charged and was released in September.
After his death on September 16, his family said that the man filmed did not fit the description, with the suspect not having Mr Brandham's "visibly wasted and disfigured calf" or "prominent forearm tattoo".
They also said there was email evidence that he was in his office across London at the time.
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