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Bystanders help save lives of suicidal men in Roslindale, Dorchester, police say

Boston Police are thanking bystanders who helped them save the lives of two men yesterday - one of whom was getting ready to throw himself in front of a Needham Line train in Roslindale, the other of whom was trying to throw himself from an overpass onto the Expressway in Dorchester.

Police say that shortly before 7 a.m., officers responded to the Arnold Arboretum, in the area of Fairview and Mendum streets, on a report of a man threatening to commit suicide by train:

While searching the area for the victim, a passer by informed the officers that they had observed a person hiding behind some sort of box in close proximity to the commuter rail train tracks with a train slowly approaching. The officers immediately asked their dispatcher to halt the service on the tracks as they approached and secured the victim on scene without further incident. The victim then indicated to the relieved officers that he had indeed intended to end his life by jumping in front of the moving train. The victim was then transported by Boston EMS to an area hospital for medical attention and treatment.

Around 11:25 p.m., police say, officers responded to 99 Boston Street, in Dorchester's Polish Triangle, where they found a man trying to jump down onto the Southeast Expressway from the overpass there, except a bystander had managed to grab his sweatshirt through a chain-link fence and was keeping him from completing his jump:

One officer immediately reached through the fence in an attempt to secure the victim while a second officer climbed over the fence. That officer was able to reach the male party and hold him in place until members of the Boston Fire Department arrived on scene at which time they cut through the fence and pulled both the victim and the officer to safety. The victim was then transported by Boston EMS to an area hospital for treatment and evaluation.

Police add:

While we would never ask anyone to put themselves in harm’s way or endanger themselves in any way whatsoever, we are grateful for the assistance provided during these two incidents when every second truly mattered.

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Comments

And I'm sure the first one also has the gratitude of the train driver who would have had to live with that PTSD for the rest of their life.

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GREAT JOB

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Awed by the bravery of these good citizens.

I still have scary memories of a likely jumper at the State Street T station. Sharp bystander alerted T personnel on site, who quickly stopped an oncoming train until young woman hanging into the pit was pulled out.

I think of it when I’m at an unstaffed T station, which is most of the time. No one to help if something like that happened again.

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