Journal Inquirer
STAMFORD, Conn. — First responders rescued a woman from the roof of a three-story home Wednesday afternoon after police said they were called to the home for a reported disturbance.
Officers were called to the home on Saddle Rock Road around 1 p.m. Wednesday. The homeowner told police that a woman had walked through his front door and began screaming at him.
“The homeowner explained that he did not know the woman and that she was still in the house,” Capt. Chris Baker said in a news release Thursday. “Officers spotted the woman in the house who then fled upstairs.”
While police were setting up a perimeter around the home, they saw that the woman had made her way onto the roof of the three-story home, Baker said.
“Responding officers made several attempts to have the woman come back off of the roof via a balcony to no avail,” Baker said.
Officers requested support from the police department’s hostage negotiation team and behavioral health unit, as well as the Stamford Fire Department and Stamford Emergency Medical Service. Members of the behavioral health unit also enlisted the help of a local clergy member to assist.
When negotiators arrived, they tried communicating with the woman while she was sitting on the roof. Negotiators tried to speak with the woman for almost six hours while the fire department provided police with ladder safety equipment and technical advice.
The behavioral health unit and hostage negotiation team “began making progress after hours of dialogue on an extremely hot roof,” Baker said. Officers also used a drone to assess the conditions and provide situational awareness to negotiators.
Around 6:40 p.m., officers and firefighters were able to corral the woman on the roof and took her into custody.
Footage captured by the drone showed the woman sitting on the roof while two people scaled the roof, one approaching the woman with a bottle of water. Meanwhile, a group of first responders waited in a fire truck’s bucket behind the woman.
The woman stood up as a person tried to hand her a bottle of water. She then began bending over and the person held his hands up. A couple of first responders crawled from the bucket toward the woman, grabbed her and laid her down on the roof before taking her into custody, the footage shows.
“This incident was brought to a successful injury-free conclusion due to the collaborative effort, professionalism, and de-escalation skills displayed by members of the police department, fire department, and SEMS [Stamford Emergency Medical Service],” Baker said. “Due to the height of the roof and where the female was positioned, the situation was extremely perilous.”
Once in custody, the woman was taken to Stamford Hospital to be evaluated. Officers are continuing to investigate the incident, Baker noted.
“I want to commend the men and women of the Stamford Police Department, Fire Department, and EMS for their collaborative work on this remarkable rescue,” said Mayor Caroline Simmons. “Thanks to their efforts, a life was saved, and this incident underscores the incredible commitment and professionalism of all our first responders.”
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