Howell Police Officer Talks Distraught Man Out Of Suicide: Chief

HOWELL, NJ -- A man who left his family a note saying he intended to commit suicide was located and talked out of the act after a two-hour standoff by Howell Township police on Tuesday, Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said.

Kudrick praised Patrolman Robert Hill, who initially located the man and then talked with the man for the entire two hours while the 45-year-old Howell man had a handgun in his lap, eventually convincing the man to get out of his vehicle and allow police to take him into custody, according to a news release from Sgt. Christian Antunez.

“The compassion Patrol Officer Robert Hill displayed through his conversation with the distraught individual is undoubtedly the reason why there was a successful resolution to this incident," Kudrick said. "He truly did save his life.”

The incident began about noon, when family members reported the man missing and told Howell Detective Robert Ortenzi the man had left a note describing suicidal intentions and had taken his legally-owned handgun with him when he left home, Antunez said.

Police were able to find the man based on pings showing the location of his cell phone at a Manasquan River access point at 205 County Route 524a (Squankum-Yellowbrook Road) in Howell, Antunez said. The access point is several hundred feet off the road, down a dirt road. At the end of the dirt road is a small clearing in the woods for parking, he said.

Multiple Howell police officers responded and found the man in his vehicle, with it running, in this small parking area. The area was secured and the man was surrounded. A section of Route 524a was closed to prevent motorists and buses filled with students from nearby schools from passing the dangerous area, Antunez said.

For the next two hours, a standoff ensued, he said. Officers confirmed the man was armed with a handgun and holding it in his lap, he said. The man also appeared to be either overly medicated or under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Antunez said, as officers said the man failed to respond to police during the majority of the incident. 

"At no point in time did the individual raise the handgun at himself or police," Antunez said. The man did not make any comments to police and appeared, at times, to be asleep in the vehicle, he said.

Hill finally convinced the man to get out of the vehicle, and he complied with police instructions and was taken into custody without incident, Antunez said. There was no force used on him, he said.

The man was taken to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for psychological evaluation and treatment, he said.

A staging area for law enforcement operations was set up at the Board of Education building across the street and resulted in significant police activity there; however, the incident did not involve the board of education building or school district, Antunez said.

There have been no criminal charges filed at this time. The Monmouth County Emergency Response Team also responded to the scene, he said.