In August, two Secaucus police officers saved a 22-year-old man who appeared to be ready to jump into the Hackensack River.
Secaucus Police said that on Aug. 20, at approximately 9 a.m., the department received multiple 9-1-1 calls that a man got out of a moving vehicle and was apparently preparing to jump off the Route 3 East Bridge that runs over the Hackensack River.
Police Officer Taylor Ensmann discovered the man from East Orange sitting on the ledge of the bridge with his legs dangling over the marsh area below.
A jump or fall into the marsh below could have been catastrophic for the victim.
Officer Ensmann, who is in charge of the Secaucus Police Department’s Therapy Dog Program, engaged the man in conversation and calmed him down.
After calming the distraught man, officers Ensmann and Anthony Sherman, who was now on scene, approached the man. They got close enough to grab him around the torso and arms and remove him from the bridge’s ledge, thereby preventing a potential suicide attempt.
He was transported to Hoboken University Medical Center for evaluation, where it became apparent that the man was suffering from extreme depression, according to police.
Officer Ensmann and K-9 “Oakley,” who was not on scene, will follow up with the man at a later date.
“I commend the actions of my officers, who demonstrated extreme compassion while preventing someone from needlessly taking their own life,” Chief Dennis Miller said.
Miller reminds members of the public that there are suicide hotlines and entities that help with depression and suicidal tendencies. Miller said that anyone feeling suicidal call 9-1-1 immediately.
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