Local Heroes Save woman from Suicide Attempt

Close call as Warwick police, firefighters credited with saving woman, 23, from overpass jump attempt

WARWICK, R.I. -- Police officers and firefighters are credited with saving the life of a woman who tried to jump from the Greenwich Avenue (Route 5) overpass onto Route 95 at about 8 p.m. Sunday, Warwick police said in a news release Monday.

Officers were sent to the overpass between the Girl Scout headquarters and Lowe's Home Improvement.

The first to arrive was Ptlm. James Michailides, a member of the department’s Mental Health Crisis Response Team, who began speaking with the woman, 23, as more officers arrived, the news release said.

The woman allowed Michailides to hold her hand through the chain-link fence, but as she began to lose consciousness and her feet gave way, he grabbed her other hand.

Sgt. Thomas Snow and patrol officers Christopher Lo and Stephen Major held onto parts of the woman's clothing through the links of the fence. The four held on until apparatus from the Warwick Fire Department pulled up below and firefighters David Andrews, Kyle Connelly and Joseph Levesque brought her to safety.

Col. Stephen M. McCartney, chief of the Warwick police, said it is "with great admiration" that he recognized the "life-saving actions performed during this extremely intense crisis," which "undoubtedly prevented this woman from almost certain death."