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Norton police, passers-by stop Wadsworth man from jumping off bridge
By Gina Mace
Special to the Beacon Journal
POSTED: 09:08 p.m. EDT, Jun 08, 2009
NORTON: Strangers and two Norton police officers are being credited with saving the life of a 22-year-old Wadsworth man who attempted to jump from a bridge on Saturday.
Police Chief Thad Hete said it was just after midnight when Amanda Duskey and her boyfriend, James Pennell, drove across the Johnson Road bridge over state Route 21 when they noticed something was amiss.
''She said, 'There's a guy hanging over the bridge,' '' Pennell said. ''I said, 'Well, you'd better turn around and go back then.' ''
Pennell got out of the car and approached the young man threatening to jump.
''I said, 'Hey, what are you doing?' '' Pennell said. ''I just started talking to him.''
Since neither Pennell nor Duskey own a cell phone, they had to talk the man out of jumping.
Pennell said they soon discovered that man was upset with his girlfriend.
''He said he was going to show her he was crazier than she was,'' Pennell said.
Pennell said they eventually persuaded the man to pull himself up and sit on the railing.
''I told him he was making me nervous,'' Pennell said.
When the man said he was timing the cars passing under him so he could be struck and killed, Pennell told the man he had two children waiting in the car.
''What if you jump in front of a car with kids in it?'' Pennell said he asked the man. ''What if you land on a car and kill someone?''
The conversation between the two continued for some time before police officers arrived, responding to call of a suspicious man in the area.
''I don't remember a lot of what I said,'' Pennell said. ''I just kept talking to him like a buddy.''
Sgt. Harvey Bechtel and Patrolman Dennis McDonald were the first to arrive on the bridge.
''I kept talking to him, keeping him distracted while one of the officers moved slowly toward him,'' Pennell said.
Pennell said he pointed out to the man that police had closed Route 21 when one of the officers on the bridge grabbed the would-be jumper.
''My heart was beating so fast,'' Pennell said. ''I wasn't nervous until they had him on the ground.''
Hete said the man was taken to an area hospital for observation.
Pennell said he and his girlfriend just happened to drive by.
''He seemed like a really nice, scared, really good guy, who just wanted somebody to talk to.''
NORTON: Strangers and two Norton police officers are being credited with saving the life of a 22-year-old Wadsworth man who attempted to jump from a bridge on Saturday.
Police Chief Thad Hete said it was just after midnight when Amanda Duskey and her boyfriend, James Pennell, drove across the Johnson Road bridge over state Route 21 when they noticed something was amiss.
''She said, 'There's a guy hanging over the bridge,' '' Pennell said. ''I said, 'Well, you'd better turn around and go back then.' ''
Pennell got out of the car and approached the young man threatening to jump.
''I said, 'Hey, what are you doing?' '' Pennell said. ''I just started talking to him.''
Since neither Pennell nor Duskey own a cell phone, they had to talk the man out of jumping.
Pennell said they soon discovered that man was upset with his girlfriend.
''He said he was going to show her he was crazier than she was,'' Pennell said.
Pennell said they eventually persuaded the man to pull himself up and sit on the railing.
''I told him he was making me nervous,'' Pennell said.
When the man said he was timing the cars passing under him so he could be struck and killed, Pennell told the man he had two children waiting in the car.
''What if you jump in front of a car with kids in it?'' Pennell said he asked the man. ''What if you land on a car and kill someone?''
The conversation between the two continued for some time before police officers arrived, responding to call of a suspicious man in the area.
''I don't remember a lot of what I said,'' Pennell said. ''I just kept talking to him like a buddy.''
Sgt. Harvey Bechtel and Patrolman Dennis McDonald were the first to arrive on the bridge.
''I kept talking to him, keeping him distracted while one of the officers moved slowly toward him,'' Pennell said.
Pennell said he pointed out to the man that police had closed Route 21 when one of the officers on the bridge grabbed the would-be jumper.
''My heart was beating so fast,'' Pennell said. ''I wasn't nervous until they had him on the ground.''
Hete said the man was taken to an area hospital for observation.
Pennell said he and his girlfriend just happened to drive by.
''He seemed like a really nice, scared, really good guy, who just wanted somebody to talk to.''
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Lakemore, Oh
Posted 09:29 PM, 06/08/2009
Give those people a medal. Way to go!
Barberton, OH
Posted 10:11 PM, 06/08/2009
Great work guys. Glad to know there are still good people out there!
Norka, Oh
Posted 08:49 AM, 06/09/2009
Put a fence up.....
Akron, OH
Posted 08:49 AM, 06/09/2009
Dido to the two above!
See ABJ, you can report positive news. See how easy it was too! Maybe I'd re-subscribe to the paper version if more positive news were published.
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 11:36 AM, 06/09/2009
Good job - what great people! Hope the young man gets some help.
Norton, oh
Posted 11:40 AM, 06/09/2009
This is near my house. Had no idea it happened. Good job getting him to safety. I hope he gets the help he needs.
Uniontown, Oh
Posted 10:17 AM, 06/10/2009
WOW nice to hear a positive story. Holding my breath till the negative people come on and spew their hate
AKRON, OH
Posted 10:30 AM, 06/10/2009
Suz
~WOW nice to hear a positive story. Holding my breath till the negative people come on and spew their hate
Right there with you, I hate when people are nasty , they act like 5 year olds on here,my daughter has more class.
Parma, Oh
Posted 11:11 AM, 06/11/2009
That kind of heroism happens all the time but the cop hating APJ likes to report the .25 % of officers who get in trouble. There are 960,000 police in the US and the national average is less than half of a half percent of police ever get trouble in there career. I went on a few ride alongs and witnessed 3 situations that were positive in just one night that should have made the news. All acts of heroism but the media wants the public to believe all officers are bad and never do there job.
akron, oh
Posted 12:08 PM, 06/11/2009
Angels from above
This young man wanted to be saved.
God bless the couple who was there for him.
Akron, Oh
Posted 05:43 AM, 06/12/2009
When the pain is too much to bear you do things you really don't want to. The citizens had enough heart to get involved out of concern for a perfect stranger. God bless all three of them. May they live long and happy lives.
Posted 03:32 PM, 06/12/2009
nice job. Wonder if James really had 2 kids in his car - if so i hope his girlfriend was making sure they weren't watching just in case the guy did jump! Glad it worked out so well. hats off the the couple and the police.
Posted 04:43 PM, 06/15/2009
Thank God for caring people who stop and help others. These are two angels that were not afraid to stop and give support to someone who was in need. If there were more people in the world like this there would be less families hurting from suicides. Thank you for a life saved. I know there are people out there everyday doing a kind dead and it is a shame that not all of them can be recognized, but sometimes recognition isn't what they want. They know in their hearts what they have done and that is why they can sleep at night. But I want to say Thank you to each and everyone of you whom ever you may be. Better to save a life then to take one.
Rittman, OH
Posted 01:13 AM, 06/19/2009
.......Waiting on the recall comments to filter over here.....
