Charleston, S.C. – Pizza may have saved a “despondent” man from taking his own life .
Monday morning, a man stepped over a barrier on the Ravenel Bridge connecting Charleston to Mt. Pleasant, and threatened to jump into the Cooper River . Almost a dozen motorists called the police, worried that his parked car may cause a wreck in the early morning traffic.
Others also saw the man step over the barrier and told authorities they were worried he may jump.
Authorities showed up and tried to talk the man down, and they apparently waited him out for long enough that he became hungry and thirsty. Police told him that they would provide him with a pizza if he came down and set about procuring a pepperoni pie from nearby Andolini’s.
Police brought him the pie and some water, and something in that pizza must have convinced him that life is worth living. He was taken into custody just 15 minutes after he was given the pizza.
Andolini’s now has the best ad line ever, and their product literally saves lives .
Police wouldn’t reveal the man’s name, age, or his reasons for wanting to take his life. They also said that suggesting that pizza saved his life is pure speculation.
But Andolini’s customers have lauded the pizza joint for saving the man’s life. General manager A.J. Castle even gave the police officer the pie at no charge when he found out what it was for.
“I figured he [the officer] was doing a good deed, I might as well do him a good deed as well,” Castle said.
He also shrugged off the “hero” label. “I’ve been here for nine years and nothing like this has ever happened,” he said. “But I’m not going to take credit for what happened. I was just doing my job.”
And that’s how pizza saved a suicidal man’s life this week.
