Sources: New Jersey Patch; New Jersey News 12
Newark police officers — working in concert with the family members of a local teenager — helped to avert a “suicide by cop” attempt, authorities said.
Police arrived at a home near Clinton Avenue around 5:47 p.m. after receiving a call about an attempted suicide. When they arrived, they met with the family of a 13-year-old who told them that he planned to “commit suicide by cop,” according to the Newark Department of Public Safety.
The teen’s family members said that he had a fake-but-realistic BB gun tucked into his waistband and had intentions of pointing it at the responding officers, authorities said.
At that time, the department’s Emergency Service Unit responded to the scene and was able to talk the teen into voluntarily surrendering the fake gun. Emergency responders transported the teen to University Hospital, where he is being evaluated, police reported.
“Suicide by cop is an attempt to provoke a deadly response from police officers,” Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said.
“This is the desired outcome in such situations — with the collaborative efforts of the juvenile’s family and the police, it ended without incident.”
A new report by a home security website found what New Jerseyans are scared of the most – driving.
The website Your Local Security looked at the top-searched phobias by state and found that most New Jersey residents searched out a fear of driving, otherwise known as vehophobia.
Many New Jerseyans would say that its residents are known for aggressive driving. Although the speed limit on most major highways is around 65 mph, many say that they drive much more quickly.
Highways like the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway are also known to be very congested, causing slow traffic – especially in the summer when people head down the shore. Some state lawmakers have suggested increasing the state’s speed limits to alleviate some of the traffic problems on New Jersey’s roadways.
According to the report, New York shares New Jersey’s phobia about driving, whereas citizens of of neighboring states Delaware and Pennsylvania fear needles and people respectively.