(WWJ) A man who tried to video stream his suicide live on Facebook was rescued by a Sterling Heights police officer.
Sterling Heights police say the quick, heroic actions of Officer Shawn Birch prevented a tragedy after a 911 call came in last Thursday.
"This family member advised our dispatch that their family members had threatened suicide, that he was livestreaming the incident, and that he was saying goodbye," Lt. Mario Bastianelli told WWJ's Sandra McNeill.
The call set off a frantic search.
Police were able to trace the GPS on the 30-year-old man's phone, and worked with relatives to track him to a wooded area.
Officer Birch's vast knowledge of his patrol area provided him the ability to quickly find the location, police said, where he found the man hanging by a rope, already unconscious.
Birch cut the rope, and brought the man down to the ground safely.
Bastianelli said the officer got there just in time.
"If that probably would've went on another minute, the likelihood of it having a tragic outcome would have definitely happened," he said.
The man is hospitalized, but Bastianelli said he is doing a lot better.
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Anyone in the public suffering from mental illness or thinking about suicide is urged to reach out for help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255.
