This Cop Has Stopped Dozens Of Suicides At The George Washington Bridge

What’s the secret that’s helped Port Authority police officer Juan “Father” Guzman stop more than two dozen potential suicides at the George Washington Bridge? Dignity, the veteran cop says.

“I try to give them back their dignity,” Guzman recently stated on the Port Authority website, speaking about how he approaches people contemplating suicide at the bridge.

It’s an important skill for an officer to have at the George Washington Bridge spanning New Jersey and New York, where 18 people committed suicide in 2015. However, empathetic Port Authority officers like Guzman managed to save the lives of 70 possible suicide victims in 2016, and managed to bring the total suicides at the bridge last year down to 12.

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Guzman, a married father of four, has worked at the GWB command for nine years. And according to his peers, he’s personally responsible for saving more than two dozen lives during that time.

“Life is precious,” Guzman emphasized. “I try to establish a connection with them whether it’s about God, family or love.”

But sometimes “making a connection” requires Guzman to go above-and-beyond what an officer is typically expected to do. According to the Port Authority, the veteran cop once saved a man’s life by kneeling down in prayer with him on the bridge while traffic roared past.

Guzman’s first lifesaving encounter came during a patrol in 2010, when he spotted a young woman staring down into the Hudson River near a railing at the bridge. Guzman said that his first reaction was to cuff her to the railing. Instead, he rushed over, and with help from other officers, hauled her back over.

Since that harrowing first encounter, Guzman said that he’s learned demonstrated a calm and compassionate demeanor is crucial when dealing with a potential suicide victim.

“I try to remind people in pain of the things in life that are the most precious to us all,” the veteran officer said.

• See related article: Port Authority Cop Uses Sign Language To Bridge Communication Gap

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Main Photo: Port Authority of NY/NJ