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Suicidal 12-Year-Old Girl Rescued From Pasadena Bridge By Rookie Police Officer
A 12-year-old girl who was threatening to jump from a bridge in Pasadena was brought to safety by a rookie police officer. Around 6:50 p.m. on Tuesday, South Pasadena police officer Chris Perez was patrolling near York Bridge and San Pascual Avenue when a concerned group flagged him down, according to a South Pasadena Police Department release. They directed him to a 12-year-old-girl who was sitting on the ledge of the bridge, and hanging by one hand—roughly 80 feet above the pavement below—and threatening to jump. The girl—whose identity has not been released—was “sobbing and desperate” according to police.
Officer Perez—who has been with the force only a year—asked the girl if he could walk closer to her and once she gave him permission, cautiously approached where she was precariously perched. Speaking with the girl, Perez learned that she was from a group home off of Avenue 64, and “for severe emotional reasons," wanted to die, according to the release.
After developing a rapport together, the girl agreed to let Perez move closer to her on the bridge. She told him that she was frightened and agreed to let Perez help her back over the bridge's railing to safety. “She was too scared to climb back over, so I leaned over the railing … had her grab my hand, and then I grabbed the rest of her wrist, and she pretty much bear hugged me so that I could pull her back over to the other side," Perez tells KTLA. “Immediately after I pulled her over, then that’s when she started to break down and was crying."
Perez sat with the girl, gave her water and called the South Pasadena Fire Department after learning that she had an ankle injury.
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The girl is now undergoing a medical evaluation, according to police.
If someone you know exhibits warning signs of suicide: do not leave the person alone, remove any firearms, alcohol, drugs or sharp objects that could be used in a suicide attempt, and call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or take the person to an emergency room or seek help from a medical or mental health professional.
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