Dramatic video captured by a Connecticut police officer’s body camera shows the stunning moments as he rushed to save a man who was attempting to jump off a building.
Hamden Police Department released the video showing Officer Justin Martin pulling a man back over the railing of a sixth-storey terrace at an assisted living residence on April 21.
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“Everybody got to go home safe and everything worked out well,” Martin, a former college basketball player, told reporters. “I was able to help the community that day and I’m really glad it turned out that way.”
Martin responded to the apartments after Whitney Center staff became concerned for the safety of the elderly male resident and alerted police.
Police say Martin was speaking with staff and the man when he suddenly fled.
Video shows Martin pursuing the man, scaling six flights of stairs and searching a pair of hallways for him.
Martin was able to locate the resident, but as he approached, the man ran towards the building ledge. Fortunately, Martin’s athleticism and strength allowed him to reach the man before he fell.
“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,” Martin told WTNH. “Once I got my hands on him, I wasn’t going to let him go.”
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Martin said officers are trained to prepare for any situation, but admitted he was even surprised by his response.
“I knew it was a high risk situation for the gentleman but after watching the video, I was like, ‘Oh man, that really just happened,’” said Martin.
Whitney Center CEO and President Mike Rambarose said Martin’s actions helped avert a “tragic situation.”
“We thankfully had the Hamden Police Department show up and they were very instrumental, very helpful in helping resolve the issue,” Rambarose told WTNH.
“We are extremely thankful for Officer Martin and our staff’s heroic actions in preventing a terrible tragedy,” an official statement from the residence said.
Whitney Center officials couldn’t provide any details about the man or his condition.
Police reported that the resident was taken to hospital for evaluation.