Woman Attempts Suicide

My Story Store Detective Years

Woman attempts suicide

© Copyright James J Alonzo 1973

“Radio to all cars, in three district. We have a jumper on the Klienhans Store Building.”

Hearing the call, while sitting in the security office, we were working together that day, in the summer of 1971. Mike McCarthy a Buffalo, NY police detective who was working part time security at Hengerers, while I worked there as a full time store detective. So both of us were 100 yards away when the radio call came. Mike was a real cop, a cop’s cop that they make movies out of, like "Die Hard", "Lethal Weapon", or "French Connection". He was a no nonsense cop that had more felony arrests than any five officers on any police force. Most of the other officers did not like working with him, because if there was going to be an "Officer Involved Shooting", it was a good chance Mike was in the middle of it.

Let’s go.” Mike said.

We ran out the store and down the street to Klienhans, as we were entering the building, looking up we saw sitting on the second floor window a woman in her thirties, white, and obese.

We ran up to the second floor and walked into the office, where a very young, upset and shaking secretary had been standing by the window, talking to the jumper.

“Police.” Mike said flashing his badge, shouldering her aside.

“Officer,” said the secretary, relived to see Mike, a broad shoulder blonde man, 6' tall,

“the woman was here, sitting in that chair, said she was ill, could she have some water. So then I went out for a second and when I got back the window was wide open, and I started to shut it, but then I saw her on the ledge.”

Meanwhile more police officers were entering the small office, as Mike gave instructions to the secretary in his tactful and compassionate style,

“Beat it!” Which she in turn scurried right out of the office.

“You want me to leave?” I asked.

“No. Jim, you can learn something here.”

Meanwhile the Uniformed Captain showed up next, pot bellied, middle aged, standing there hips on his hands, hat resting on the back of his grey haired head,

“Well if it isn’t Michael McCarthy! To what do I owe this honor?”

“Captain Murphy,” Mike said acknowledging the arrival of the captain, and then pointing at me,

“He’s with me. I’m first on scene so I will try to talk her off the ledge.”

“Michael, you are a narcotics cop, what possible life experiences or training do have with a woman that wants to kill her self?”

“I’ve been married three times, and divorced three times. You don‘t think I've driven my ex-wives close to suicide?”

“Indeed, You may have a point there.” The Captain said, "besides we don't have a negotiator available anyway."

The captain then assigned door security to the office. Meanwhile the fire department and a TV News Crew had arrived on the street level, setting up equipment and preparing for the worst. Shortly thereafter some firefighters arrived and were in the next office down from us.

Their window and ours was located on each side of the lady Jumper‘s position. Mike lit a cigarette and stuck his head out the window,

“Lady, can you hear me?” Mike asked the Blonde haired young lady who was about 300 pounds, wearing a pink sweat suit, and running shoes.

She was four feet from the window and was perched on the wide ledge,he

“Leave me alone, or I’ll jump!”

“Lady, I’m not going to touch you, so don’t worry. Just answer a question for me.”

“OK, what’s the question?”

“What’s your name?”

“Karen Newman.”

Mike said to me in a low voice, “Jim, write all this information down, and note the times.”

“Karen, my name is Mike.” Silence. “Karen what is your address.”

171 Locust Street. Why all these questions?”

“I don’t know," Mike responded sarcastically, "Karen, when they trained me, I’m supposed to get this information. I guess they want to identify you, if you jump.”

“Well I am going to jump! Why don’t you shove those questions up your ass?”

Looking back at me, he tossed his cigarette out the window down on the waiting firemen, stepped back from the window, and laughed,

“This broad is nuts. If she jumps she is going to be disappointed, the worst she’ll do is break her legs and maybe her fat ass.”

“You want me to write that down, the woman is nuts?” I asked laughing.

“No, don't get me in trouble," He replied smiling.

Sticking his head back out the window,

“Karen, how come you want to jump?”

“What do you mean how come? You stupid jerk!”

“Karen, why are you so hostile?”

I was beginning to think this is not going well, because I could see Mike was getting angry, the back of his neck turning red! After all he had a reputation for a violent temper.

“Karen are you married, any kids?”

“No, I am not married. Are you proposing?”

“Eh, no, Karen, who can we contact if you jump?”

“What are you, that fucking stupid? I am going to jump! What’s this shit ’if I jump‘?”

Mike stuck his head back in, lit a cigarette, and said,

“This fucking broad is a pain in the ass.”

Mike sticking his head out the window again, was surprised to have seen that on the other side of Karen, there was now a news camera crew filming the jumper, so retreating back into the window, he said to me,

“Fuck! The news is filming from the next window. This is just what I need.”

Sticking his head out the window,

“Listen lady, why do you want to kill yourself?”

“Because I’m ugly! Because I’m Lonely! Because I’m fat!”

“Karen, your being hard on yourself, you are not that ugly, and lot’s of men like pudgy women.”

My jaw dropped when I heard Mike say that. The captain throwing his hat on the floor, shouted out,

"Mike! Shit!"

“You stupid asshole!", Karen shouted, "You’re a pig! I’m going to jump, so don’t try to stop me!”

As she started to inch forward on the ledge, I could see Mike had had enough because he said,

“Well jump you stupid bitch! The worst you’ll do is hurt yourself. If you want to commit suicide, you selfish bitch, you should jump from the sixth floor!”

“Fuck you!” Then she jumped.

When she hit the ground, it was hard! I could hear the thump of the body and the quick release of air from the jumper's lungs! I also heard the Captain kicking one of the office desks, having a conniption over what Mike had said!

The fall and impact verified what Mike said, the injuries besides the obvious cuts and bruises, were legs fractures, pelvis fracture and crush vertebrae, and a possible head concussion.

The next day there was the Bold Print head line in the newspaper;
　
“Cop Tells Jumper To Jump”

The chief of police was livid, and some thought he was going to have a heart attack! Especially when he read a quote from Mike McCarthy when asked by a reporter, “why he thought she jumped from the second floor instead of the sixth.” Mike responded,
　
“That’s the difference between chickens shit and chicken salad.”