Ocala Police Department officers and detectives worked together Tuesday afternoon to save a suicidal man who was hanging onto the exterior fence of the SW 43rd Street Road bridge over Interstate 75.
Det. Richard Tuck heard the call come over the police radio at 4:47 p.m. and immediately noticed fellow Det. Joshua Fried, who is a trained hostage negotiator. Tuck and Fried worked alongside Sgt. Casey Eades and officers Brennan Grady and John Hilton to talk the man off the fence.
At one point, the man told officers he believed there were drug charges pending against him. He also said that he believed people had been following him for days, a report states.
As of Tuesday night, officers had not been able to confirm any pending charges against the man.
During the incident, Fried and the officers were able to get the man to climb to the top of the fence, but he wouldn’t continue over the top. He also expressed specific needs that had to be met for him to come off the fence.
Fried responded by immediately making arrangements via phone, and as a result, the man climbed the rest of the way down.
“It ended with a handshake and a hug,” Fried said. “As promised.”
The man was taken into custody under the Baker Act so that he can receive an evaluation and treatment if needed.
Several other officers also responded to the call to quickly block roadways and divert traffic to ensure the safety of others in the area.
An Ocala Police spokesman said the department also would like to thank an anonymous woman “who stepped up to assist without hesitation” during the incident.