Police were able to successfully talk a person out of jumping after they were reported to be hanging onto a bridge over Interstate 94 near Wadsworth Monday evening.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call around 11:30 p.m. Monday for a person clinging to a bridge over Interstate 94.
Lake County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Ari Briskman told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that numerous law enforcement agencies began checking various bridges in the area.
An Illinois State Police trooper located a person standing on the ledge of the Route 173 overpass above Interstate 94.
Both directions of Route 173 and the southbound lanes of Interstate 94 were shut down for the man’s safety, Briskman said.
The Gurnee Police Department assisted with the road closure and the Newport Township Fire Protection District was called to the scene to standby.
A sheriff’s deputy and two Illinois State Police troopers spoke with the distraught individual.
They learned the person was suicidal, Briskman said.
The sheriff’s deputy and the state troopers were eventually able to convince the person to safely move away from the ledge.
Following approximately an hour of negotiations, the person was transported by ambulance to a hospital for an evaluation, Briskman said.
Traffic was then reopened on Route 173 and Interstate 94 after the scene was cleared.