An Alachua County deputy received the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office Life Saving Award this week in recognition of his actions that helped save an individual who threatened to jump off an Interstate 75 overpass in January.
On January 2, 2023, ACSO Deputy David Visconti noticed a vehicle that was parked on the I-75 overpass on NW 39th Avenue in Alachua County. According to the sheriff’s office, the hazard lights were on and the vehicle was unoccupied.
The deputy observed cold beer bottles near the vehicle. When the deputy looked over the barrier wall, he noticed a six-pack case of Bud Light on the sidewalk along with another six-pack of Rolling Rock beer.
Due to the suspicious nature of the situation, the deputy returned to his patrol car and researched if any other calls had been received regarding this vehicle or the registered owner. According to ACSO, the deputy located a call for service from February 2021 involving a suicide attempt, and the deputy decided to conduct a more thorough investigation of the area surrounding the abandoned vehicle.
During that investigation, the deputy observed a dark silhouette on the opposite side of a chain link fence that was moving towards him. The individual was on the outside of the fence, which served as a barrier between the sidewalk and the interstate below.
ACSO stated that the deputy asked the individual his name to help build rapport. An unopened Bud Light bottle was observed in his shorts, and he was hanging onto the fence with his hands.
The deputy told the man that whatever he was going through, they could get through it together. The man replied by stating, “I can’t, you’ve never seen something like this before, have you,” according to the sheriff’s office.
The man proceeded to open the beer bottle with his teeth, and he began chugging the beer. He then asked the deputy to walk away to avoid witnessing “what was about to occur.” ACSO stated that the deputy refused to leave the man alone, and the deputy kept him talking while other units shut down the traffic on the interstate below the overpass.
An Alachua County Fire Rescue ladder truck was requested to assist with getting the man down from the fence. The deputy learned that the man was going through some personal issues that were “very hard to deal with,” according to ACSO.
Additional units arrived on scene, and crews were able to tie a rip hobble and K-9 leashes around the man’s body in case he slipped or decided to jump from the fence. The ACFR ladder truck arrived on scene, and the man was safely brought down from the fence and escorted to an ambulance.
In a social media post, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office stated, “Deputy Visconti did a fantastic job getting needed information out to units on the scene while maintaining contact with the subject.” The sheriff’s office added that the combined effort of ASCO and ACFR units saved an individual who was on the verge of committing suicide.