Off-Duty Quincy Officer Saves Man From Suicide Attempt

KINGSTON, MA — An off-duty Quincy police officer part of the reason why a man in Kingston is alive.

On June 11, officer Ryan Donnelly was driving on Route 3A South in Kingston when he noticed two pulled over motorcycles near the Route 3 exit 9 overpass. As he began to slow down, Donnelly observed a man hanging off of a fence over the northbound traffic of Route 3, according to a letter from Lt. Dan Minton to Police Chief Paul Keenan.

Donnelly, a crisis negotiator, walked towards the man and saw that he was upset and shaking as he used his bare feet and hands to cling on to the fence. The man told Donnelly that he wanted to die due to recent events in his life and he was going to jump in front of the next truck he saw.

When the man asked for a cigarette, Donnelly said if he came back, he could have all the cigarettes he wanted and they could talk his problems out. The man came over and was helped off the fence by Donnelly and the motorcyclist.

The man was then taken to the hospital.

"Without the prompt and professional response of Officer Donnelly, the distraught man may have jumped before emergency response personnel could have intervened," Minton wrote in his letter.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please contact 911 or the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800.273.8255. You can also visit their website.

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