Police body camera footage shows the moments Miami-Dade Police officers sprang into action to save a man’s life.
Last Saturday, authorities responded to a 19-year-old in crisis hanging from the overpass off the 826 near Bird Road.
“All of us converged on the area with the same hope. The desire to save his life,” said Sergeant Cheryl Diaz with the Miami-Dade Police Department.
On Monday the officers described the tense situation.
“Everyday this is what we signed up to do. We just happened to find someone in the middle of a crisis,” said officer Julian Padrón.
“The last six months our community and ourselves, everybody in the country has been having a difficult time. Luckily we were able to save this man’s life and give him the treatment that he needed,” said Lieutenant William Romero.
The officers were applauded for their efforts on social media after a passerby captured video of the rescue, but the newly released body camera footage showed the officer’s perspective as they tried to plead with the man.
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One officer seen on video making a split second decision to lunge forward and grab hold of the man just in time.
“He knew that he would slip at any minute so he sprang into action, completely selflessly determined to save that young man’s life. As he was able to grab a hold of the one arm I grabbed a hold of the second arm,” Diaz said.
All the officers coordinated together to bring the man to safety.
“I’m just glad that we were able to help this young gentleman. Mental health is a big issue affecting the community and hopefully everyone is aware,” said officer Randy Pineyro.
The man involved was taken to a nearby hospital for a mental evaluation and is expected to be okay.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
