Officers Help Save Distraught Man On Bridge: Meriden Police

MERIDEN, CT — Two Meriden police officers are being credited with helping to save the life of a distraught man who may have been contemplating suicide on Sunday, according to officials.

Police responded to the area of Chamberlain Highway on the report of a distraught man who may be contemplating suicide by jumping from the Chamberlain Highway overpass down to the 1-691 highway below, officials said.

“The call came in from a concerned friend of the male who called into our station from out of state after having a conversation with the male,” police wrote in a news release. “Once officers arrived, the male was located sitting on a ledge of the overpass with one foot dangling off of the ledge in an area that was approximately 50 feet above I691. Officers Kosky and Witkin were forced to grab the male victim, who was resistant to the officer’s assistance; however, the two officers were able to pull the male off of the ledge.

“Shortly thereafter the male was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. The two officers in this case did an outstanding job in what was certainly a critical incident that could have easily ended with the victim and/or officers falling off of the bridge.

“This call is just one of the many calls that our officers face in which they risk their own personal safety for the well-being of another and we here at the Meriden Police Department hope that the male involved in this incident gets the help and support he needs.”