Crime & Safety
Newark Police, Family Stop Teen's ‘Suicide By Cop’ Attempt: PD
When Newark police arrived, the teen's family told them he had a fake gun and planned to "commit suicide by cop," authorities said.
NEWARK, NJ – Newark police officers – working in concert with the family members of a local teen – helped to avert a “suicide by cop” attempt on Friday night, authorities said.
Police arrived at a Treacy Avenue home around 5:47 p.m. after receiving a call about an attempted suicide. When officer arrived, they met with the family members of a 13-year-old male, who told them that he planned to “commit suicide by cop,” according to the Newark Department of Public Safety.
The teen’s family members said that he had a fake-but-realistic BB gun tucked into his waistband and had intentions of pointing it at the responding officers, authorities said.
Find out what's happening in Newarkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
At that time, the department’s Emergency Service Unit responded to the scene and was able to talk the teen into voluntarily surrendering the fake gun without further incident. Emergency responders transported the teen to University Hospital, where he is being evaluated, police said Saturday.
“Suicide by cop is an attempt to provoke a deadly response from police officers,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said. “This is the desired outcome in such situations… with the collaborative efforts of the juvenile’s family and the police, it ended without incident.”
Find out what's happening in Newarkfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Earlier in the week, two fatal police shootings took place in Newark. One resulted in the death of a 37-year-old East Orange man, and the other involved a 29-year-old Newark resident.
People suffering from suicidal thoughts can find support at the below resources:
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline - 800-273-TALK (8255)
- Tlc4teens.org: A website created by the Traumatic Loss Coalitions for Youth, which includes organizations, hotlines and relevant articles that have been vetted by TLC
- Call or text 2NDFLOOR — a confidential and anonymous helpline for New Jersey youth and young adults, ages 10 to 24, at 888-222-2228. It is staffed 24 hours a day.
- NJ Hopeline: 855-NJ-HOPELINE at 855-654-6735
Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
