Rookie Cop Saves 12-Year-Old Girl Who Tried To Jump To Her Death From 80-Foot Bridge Because She Wanted To Be Reunited With Her Only Family – Her Aunt
From the archive: published Sep 25, 2015, 11 years ago. Details may have changed since.
A rookie Los Angeles police officer saved a 12-year-old girl from jumping to her death from an 80-foot bridge because she wanted to be reunited with her only family – her aunt, according to CBS Local . On Tuesday at 6:50 p.m., — just one hour into his shift – Officer Chris Perez decided to “take a different route while on patrol” and travel in the area of York Bridge and San Pascual Avenue.
Just moments later, Perez stated that he witnessed a “whole gridlock of vehicles backed up” and bystanders where flagging him down. They claimed a young girl – whose name has not been released – was on the other side of the bridge and was threatening to jump to her death. As he approached the bridge, he noticed the young girl was holding on to the rail with one hand as she sobbed uncontrollably while standing at the edge of the 80-foot bridge.
#California officer #ChrisPerez helps save a #suicidal girl. Does the problem stem deeper than we think? #fostercare http://t.co/sY58K9hBnB
— DailyHaze.com (@DailyHaze) September 25, 2015
According to KTLA, Perez wanted to gain the girl’s trust so he decided to ask questions and get to know her before moving closer to her. She told him that she ran away from the group home off of Avenue 64 where she was staying so that she could commit suicide and be reunited with her deceased aunt. Throughout the entire conversation, Perez said that she was “Just crying and holding on” to the rail. However, as the girl continued to open up and started to feel comfortable with Perez, he asked to come closer to her and she said yes.
As he approached the girl, she told him that she was “scared and needed help.” He then “grabbed her in a bear hug” and pulled her to safety. He sat her on the sidewalk and comforted her until the paramedics arrived.
“I do have nephews, and nieces,” Perez told reporters. “One who is seven, the other who just turned two. So I can’t relate, that, oh my Lord, this young individual, this juvenile, is on the other side [on the bridge] what could possibly be going wrong in your life to make you want to do something like this?”
As a result of Officer Chris Perez quick-thinking and training, the young girl is safe, and she is currently at a local hospital where she will undergo a medical evaluation. He has since been called a hero for preventing a young girl from taking her own life, but says he feels “uncomfortable” with that title. However, he is in fact happy to know that his parents took “note” and he said “Hearing it [hero] from my parents is one thing because I know I did right by them.”