What should law enforcement officials do if a local man keeps jumping or threatening to jump in the Hudson River, forcing Hoboken police, firefighters, and the ambulance corps to respond alongside the New York City Police Department’s river patrol to save him?
In the state of New Jersey, and locally here in Hoboken, the police may refer the person to health care professionals, who then make a decision as to whether a person should be involuntarily committed for psychiatric treatment.
Over the past few years, a Hoboken resident has been calling police, threatening to jump in the Hudson River, and sometimes acting on his threats, according to police reports and media accounts dating back to at least 2009.
The 37-year-old man, whose phone number is unlisted and could not be contacted, has been dealing with Hoboken police on a regular basis.
In May 2009, he allegedly dangled his feet from the top of a building on Hoboken, causing a large crowd to gather, with pedestrians wondering if he would commit suicide, according to a news report.
Then, in July 2009, the man was detained but not charged after allegedly jumping into the Hudson River, according to a report.
“We’re in a bit of a catch 22.” – Hoboken Police Capt. Ed Garcia
____________
On Dec. 4, a man fitting the serial jumper’s description threatened to jump in the Hudson River, and the next day, the same man threatened to jump on the train tracks at Hoboken terminal, according to reports. Police do not always publicly release the name of the jumper, depending on the circumstances. If someone is not charged with a crime, the person’s name is not publicly disclosed.
How is someone committed for help?
So why isn’t the man forced to get mental health treatment so that he won’t continue to put his life – and the lives of responders – in danger?
“When you pose a danger to yourself or others you can be transported to a psychiatric screening facility, where they will look you over and make a decision,” said Debra Simon, the first assistant prosecutor in Hudson County, citing state statute 30:4-27.6. The statute allows “state or local law enforcement officers to take custody of and take to a screening service a patient who needs to be referred to the service, upon certification by an outpatient treatment provider that the provider has reasonable cause to believe the patient is in need of evaluation for commitment to treatment.”
Hoboken University Medical Center has a screening facility in the emergency room, according to a representative from the hospital. If the professionals determine there is not a mental health issue, the person is released. That seems to be what is happening with the Hoboken man.
With the Dec. 5 incident at the train tracks, Jersey City Medical Center officials responded.
Officials at JCMC could not speak about specifics of a patient’s case, but Silvana Gomez, the director of psychiatric emergency services, outlined what happens if someone is brought in for psychiatric care from police.
First, patients are seen by medical personnel to make sure there is nothing physically wrong, Gomez said. After the physical treatment, the patient goes to the psychiatric emergency room, where a nurse conducts an assessment. A certified screener conducts another assessment, which includes talking to the patient, reviewing previous visits to the emergency room and the person’s medical records, and checks to see if there is a history of the same behavior.
Gomez said assessors may also call family to gather information about how a person has been doing. After that, a psychiatrist meets with the patient and makes a recommendation. Recommendations may include admission to the inpatient unit, a hold for observation, a discharge to community health professionals, or a simple discharge from the hospital, Gomez said.
Each state has laws for whether people can be ordered to be committed to a mental health facility. The laws are designed specifically to balance an individual’s civil rights with the possibility that he may pose a danger to himself, others, or property.
According to the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services, an order for involuntary commitment of an adult must be preceded by “two necessary clinical/screening certificates” presented to a judge in court.
Simon said many of the referrals in Hudson County go to Jersey City Medical Center.
Simon said that in the case of this man, she has advised the Hoboken Police Department to hand him over to a hospital for a screening the next time he jumps or threatens to do so.
But police say that’s exactly what they’ve been doing.
A spokeswoman for Hoboken University Medical Center was away last week and could not be reached for comment by press time.
Though police could not specifically discuss the case of the individual man, Captain Ed Garcia said that when someone tries to jump in the river, or harm him or herself, police turn the individual over to the hospital for a screening.
“We hand the person over to the professionals,” Garcia said. “It’s not a crime to attempt suicide. But if there is an individual that creates a burden on the services in the city including the police, Fire Department, and ambulance corps, then there is a situation where we have to address it as a municipality.”
Police officers risk injury when they have to pull the man out of the river or rescue him from other situations, officers said last week. Since the New York Police Department has the primary jurisdiction over the Hudson River, sometimes they are called, too, costing taxpayers even more money.
An official said that at least two police cars often go to the scene whenever the man jumps into the river, along with the Fire Department and the ambulance corps.
Garcia said that after they hand someone over to the hospital and the person is released, the situation is out of their hands.
“We’re in a bit of a Catch-22,” Garcia said.
Officers say the man is “a regular” and they expect to see him again some time in the future. They added that they believe he should be receiving more help than he currently gets.
Ray Smith may be reached at RSmith@hudsonreporter.com