The officer grabbed the man as he jumped from the roof. Photo / Police handout
The officer grabbed the man as he jumped from the roof. Photo / Police handout
A heroic police officer arrived just in time to save a man who was attempting to jump from the roof of a rest home.
Officer Justin Martin, from the US Hamden Police Department, recorded bodycam footage after he received a callout for a "combative resident".
The officer managed to grabthe pensioner and hold onto him by his feet after frantically running up six flights of stairs.
"I just wanted to catch up to him. I didn't want him to hurt himself. I didn't want to lose sight of him and I didn't know the building so I wanted to make sure that I was able to catch up to him," Officer Martin told WTNH.
"I was able to grab his foot and he had a belt on so I was able to pull him up enough to get the belt, my other hand onto his belt and I got both hands on his waist and I was able to pull him up after that."
"Whitney Center is extremely grateful for the heroic action of our staff and Officer Justin Martin who prevented a terrible tragedy from happening," the retirement centre says.
"Our first concern is for the resident who is facing this challenge in his life. Our prayers are with him and our hope is that he gets the help and support he needs."
