Sitting on the guardrail, the man was yelling and emotional when Trooper Luckenson Noel arrived at the Ramsey Avenue overpass in Hillside around 6:30 p.m. March 2.
"Get away from me," the man yelled. Noel listened, he stepped back. But he didn't stop talking.
Knowing his words were a matter of life and death, Noel opened up to the man about how he lost his dad when he was young. Turns out, the suicidal man lost a parent of his own.
In sharing his own life story, Noel was able to build trust, and give the man the vision of how his family loved him. Listening, the man agreed and Noel helped him off the guardrail.
With the assistance of EMS and the Hillside Police Department, the man was transported to an area hospital for further treatment.
Anyone experiencing a crisis that seems too much to bear is urged to contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or go to www.suicidepeventionlifeline.org.
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