Suicidal Man Saved From PATH Tracks In Jersey City: Police

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A suicidal man was rescued from above the PATH tracks near Journal Square late Thursday morning, Port Authority Officer Joseph Pentangelo said.

Around 11:20 a.m, police responded to the train tracks on the Summit Avenue bridge, near Sip Avenue and Magnolia Avenue. A man was hanging from the fence with his feet on a 3-inch ledge above the tracks, Pentangelo said.

Officers on the sidewalk spoke to the man in Spanish and English, holding his legs through a gap in the fence so he couldn't jump as other officers worked to get to the other side of the fence where the man was, Pentangelo said.

An officer went onto the ledge and blocked the man's body with his own, a move Pentangelo called a "textbook performance." At that point, the man because "semi-unconscious or limp," Pentangelo said, and he was grabbed and removed from the ledge.

The man was taken to Jersey City Medical Hospital Center.

Port Authority cut electricity to the tracks and all trains were diverted for about five minutes as police worked to get the man down.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

Image via Port Authority Police Department