Highland Park Police Save Person From Rt. 1 Suicide Attempt Friday

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ — A Highland Park police officer on his way home from work Friday night saved a person who was considering jumping from the Morris Goodkind Bridge on Rt. 1 in Edison.

Police Officer Sean Garley was driving on Rt. 1 on his way home from work Friday, according to a press release on the incident released by Highland Park Police.

As he was crossing the bridge, he noticed a car parked on the shoulder and an individual pacing near the railing, repeatedly grabbing the guardrail and leaning over the edge, looking at the river below.

Garley parked nearby, got out of his car and started speaking with the distraught individual who confirmed they were intending to jump from the bridge.

"Utilizing his training in de-escalation and critical incident management skills, Officer Garley calmed the individual down and over the span of several minutes was able to bring them away from the edge of the bridge to sit on the curb," said the Highland Park Police Dept.

Another off-duty Highland Park Police Detective Sean McGraw, also on his way home from work, saw what was happening and stopped to assist Garley in keeping the individual calm.

Edison and New Brunswick Police also arrived and the person was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Highland Park Police Chief Rick Abrams praised Garley and McGraw:

“I am extremely proud of both officers. Officer Garley observed an unusual occurrence on a bridge known for suicide attempts," he said. "Det. McGraw saw Officer Garley attempting to help a distraught individual and, realizing the challenges Officer Garley was facing, Det. McGraw stopped to assist. Both officers quickly recognized the potential for this individual to harm themselves and utilized their training and experience to prevent a tragedy."