Photo: WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Massachusetts State Police Trooper Rassan Charles recently saved an individual in a mental health crisis from a scary situation at the Tobin Bridge. Charles spoke at a event with the Department of Mental Health about the incident.
“At the onset, he was like, so I'm going to jump, I'm going to jump. And I told him, I just want to talk. It's you and I. Just focus on my voice. Stay with me,” Trooper Charles said.
He found himself face-to-face with a crisis just three weeks after completing a course in crisis negotiations. He encountered a man ready to jump to his death from the Tobin Bridge.
For 90 minutes, the trooper talked to the man, the father of two who'd lost his job and was dealing with job-related financial issues.
“I did show compassion, meet him at this level. He wasn't in any form of trouble. We're here to help. We're in this together,” Trooper Charles said.
Trooper Charles managed to reassure the man enough to get him off the edge, separating life and death.
“What Trooper Charles did that night was textbook intervention. We do a lot of presentations on crisis intervention, and that video is going to be shown for years to come,” Trooper Matthew Cunha said.
The Mass State Police updated its new policy for Behavioral Crisis Response back in September.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Mike Macklin reports.