PALM BEACH, FL– The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that their team responding to a welfare check, helped save a woman in crisis.
The incident occurred on Sunday at a six-story condo building in Palm Beach County.
Sgt. Kendall Reyes says she and her team were called to the condo to conduct a welfare check on a woman who was seen pacing back and forth on the roof.
When the team arrived on the roof, Reyes says she realized that the woman, who is in her 60s, was preparing to jump.
“I felt like on Sunday, me being there was meant to be,” Sgt. Reyes said.  Reyes then began intense negotiations with the woman which went on for about 30 minutes as the woman stood near the edge of the roof.
“I made my approach, at which time she observed me and said, ‘No, no, no. Stay away,’ and went toward the ledge again,” Reyes said. “I told her I had her cell phone and I knew she wanted it. She edged closer to me but still was within a foot of the ledge at that time.”
The woman, however, remained at the edge of the roof while Reyes used her crisis intervention training to get her to back away from the edge.
Sgt. Reyes finally got a break, the several papers the woman was holding blew away in the wind and Officer Reyes used that as a distraction to grab the woman:
“At that moment, I knew things were escalating quicker than I could talk to her about trying to deter her from taking this action. So I called out her name and I made a loud noise, and she didn’t turn around. And I knew that was the second I had to sprint toward her and remove her from the ledge,” Reyes said. “When I sprinted toward her, my primary goal was just to save her. Honestly, I had no concern for myself in that aspect. I just wanted to save her.”
Once Officer Reyes grabbed the woman, other officers rushed in to secure the situation.
The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Officer Reyes says she is sharing the story to remind anyone who is going through a difficult time that there is always someone who cares for them.
The result of saving a human life, there’s nothing better than that at the end of the day,” Reyes said. “That’s honestly the reason I’d like to think most police officers put on the uniform, is that you know you are going to rise to that occasion to save somebody if you get the opportunity to. And honestly, Sunday just justified why I do this job. I do this job to help people. And some days, it’s helping people with minimal tasks. But at the end of the day, this was one of the greatest because I definitely feel I saved her life.