PALM BEACH, Fla. — Tense moments on the roof of a Palm Beach condo could have led to tragedy. But instead, it ended with a police officer saving a woman's life.
The woman was threatening to jump. With just seconds to make a life-altering decision, the officer hopes that by sharing this story, others will know there is always someone out there who cares.
"I felt like on Sunday, me being there was meant to be," Sgt. Kendall Reyes said.
A somewhat routine call — a welfare check — turned into one of the most high stakes calls Reyes has ever experienced in her 15-year career with the Palm Beach Police Department.
"There’s nothing higher than a life or death situation, and that’s what we were dealing with," Reyes said.
Reyes and her team responded to check on a woman pacing the roof of a condo building six stories high. Reyes soon realized the woman in her 60s was prepared to jump.
"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."
Close to 30 minutes went by of tense negotiations.
"You're having a rough day. We all have rough days," Reyes could be heard saying in her body camera video.
Reyes relied on her crisis intervention training to try to communicate with the woman, but she wasn't backing away from the ledge.
"It was a very volatile situation and I was trying to control it as best as I could. And I knew that a second could change the outcome on whether someone was living or not," Reyes said.
Then came a shift and the break Reyes knew she needed.
Papers the woman was holding blew away in the wind, and her attention and gaze shifted.
"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."
And she did.
The other officers on scene raced in, and the woman was taken to the hospital.
"At the end of the day, I'm so grateful things went the way that they did and that she’s safe and she’s getting the treatment she needs," Reyes said.
Reyes hopes that if you take anything away from this situation, it's that you are never alone and there is always someone willing to help. It just might be the person behind the badge.
"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."
Reyes said she hopes to one day come face-to-face with the woman she saved.
"A lot of us, like myself, we are crisis intervention trained officers. We are taught to deal with people who are experiencing a difficult time in their life," Reyes said.
Crisis intervention training is offered through Palm Beach County. While it is not a requirement, the Palm Beach Police Department said most of its officers are trained in these tactics.
"I told her that she has a lot to live for and that I’m here to help her and you’re not in any trouble. We just want to help you," Reyes said.
Reyes said officers come across people who are suicidal on a regular basis, and the problem has gotten worse as the homeless population has increased. It has made their crisis intervention training all the more valuable.
Most cases, Reyes said, do not escalate to the level this one did.
"I had no control over the situation. I’m dealing with somebody who has all of the control and there’s only so much I could get. And I knew I didn’t want to be the person who stepped too close which pushed her to jump over the edge," Reyes said.
Reyes also gives credit to her fellow officers on scene, as well as a woman from the condo building who stayed up on the roof throughout the whole experience.
"If it hadn’t been for her being there, I think things would have escalated faster than they had. And she helped us out immensely," Reyes said. "I'm just so proud of the people I work with."
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call 211 for 24/7 access to more than 1,600 services and providers for mental health care, special needs, and food assistance. Calls are free and confidential. You can also call the National Suicide and Crisis Hotline at 988, or your local police department.
