Quick-Thinking Family, Officers Prevent Suicide-By-Cop In Manchester: Chief

MANCHESTER, NJ — What seemed to be a routine 9-1-1 call on Saturday night about a drunken man was anything but routine.

And Manchester Township Police Chief Lisa Parker says it is thanks to quick-acting family members and police officers who responded calmly that a tragedy was averted, as they prevented the man from committing suicide by cop on Saturday night.

Manchester Township Police Officers Patrick Mabie and Michael Steffen responded to a 9-1-1 call about 11 p.m. Saturday on New York Avenue regarding an intoxicated man, Capt. Todd Malland said.

When Mabie arrived he saw a scuffle in the driveway, and as he walked toward it, a man started walking toward him, yelling, "Just kill me" and "I can't stand my life," Malland said.

Mabie quickly assessed through the rain and darkness that the man was unarmed, he said.

With the distraught man repeatedly shouting, "Shoot me, shoot me," Mabie and Steffen struggled with him and finally were able to take him safely into custody, Malland said.

Afterward, Mabie and Steffen learned the man had called family members to say he was going to commit “suicide by cop” before he called 9-1-1, Malland said. As a result, several family members rushed to the home and arrived just before the police. The struggle Mabie observed in the driveway was those family members wresting a pellet gun, which closely resembled a real handgun, out of the man's hand, Malland said.

“This near tragedy was avoided through quick actions of family members and officers," Parker said. "Family members were able to get the pellet gun out of the man’s hand and officers were able to quickly assess the chaotic scene and take appropriate action. Officers showed great restraint and safely took him into custody without further incident.”

The man was taken to an area hospital for further mental health evaluation.

The Manchester Township Police Department has seen a marked increase in calls involving emotionally disturbed persons, Malland said. A review of the agency’s Computer Aided Dispatch records reveals an almost 30 percent increase in these types of calls between 2012 and 2015.

“This case just highlights how even the most seemingly basic of calls can quickly change," Parker said, noting that Mabie and Steffen had no idea the man was seeking a deadly encounter with police when they answered the call. "I am proud of the officers and thankful for the family members who intervened.”

The pellet gun that was grabbed from the man by family members Saturday night in Manchester. Photo courtesy of Manchester Township Police