By Amanda Milkovits
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- An intoxicated man who told the police he'd ingested bath salts readied to jump from a Route 195 overpass near Crossroads RI early Friday morning.
This was the second time in eight days that Providence police faced a man ready to jump to his death.
They couldn't grab the troubled 31-year-old homeless man, who had climbed around a chain-link fence and said he wanted to die. So, Maj. Thomas Verdi said, Sgt. Ed Ryan and Trooper Sean McGehearty started talking to him.
A personal connection can make the difference, said Verdi. "It's developing a rapport, getting them to engage in conversation with you," he said.
After an hour, the man surrendered to police. He was taken to Rhode Island Hospital for treatment.