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Video: Minn. officer pulls jumper off ledge with cigarette tactic

Bodycam footage shows an incident an officer faced with a potential jumper and what he did to save him

By Police1 Staff

DULUTH, Minn. — A Duluth officer’s body camera footage was released by the department to show how the officer handled a potential jumper situation, Duluth News Tribune reported.

The Sept. 19 incident occurred when Officer Joe DeJesus responded to calls of a man threatening to jump from the top of a parking structure. DeJesus approached the man and engaged him in a conversation for a couple of minutes. DeJesus then asked the man if he would like a cigarette, and the man accepted the offer.

DeJesus told the man to stay put while he walked back to his cruiser to grab cigarettes. When he returned, he kept the conversation casual and asked the man if Marlboro reds were suitable. The man agreed and extended his hand to grab the cigarette. DeJesus immediately grabbed ahold of his arm and pulled the man down to safety.

Watch Officer Joe DeJesus save a male in crisis who was threatening to jump off a downtown parking ramp. This is an example of the life saving work our officers do every day. The male was taken in for help and was uninjured thanks to the excellent work by Officer DeJesus. This incident occurred last week.

Posted by Duluth Police Chief Gordon Ramsay on Wednesday, September 30, 2015

The identity of the man has not been released.

The Duluth police chief posted the video to his Facebook page to praise the officer.

“This is an example of the life saving work our officers do every day,” Chief Gordon Ramsay wrote on the post. “The male was taken in for help and was uninjured thanks to the excellent work by Officer DeJesus.”

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