Police officer, truck driver praised for quick thinking move that saved teen who jumped from overpass

Kyle Moss

A police corporal in Arlington, Texas, is being praised for his quick thinking when he enlisted the help of a truck driver to try and save a teenager who was threatening to jump off an overpass.

Body cam footage posted on Arlington Police Chief Will Johnson’s Twitter page shows the moment that Arlington Police Corporal Deric Sheriff figured out a plan for a passerby truck driver to park his 18 wheeler directly under a young man, positioning on an overpass, who was “contemplating jumping.”

“You wanna pull underneath the bridge and park under the bridge in case he decides to jump, he’ll land on the trailer?” Cpl. Sheriff is heard saying to the truck driver, Dwayne Crawford, on the video.

Sheriff told Dallas-Fort Worth news station KDFW that he needed to find the right sized truck to help him execute his plan.

“I was trying to find a tall enough semi that would work, because there was a couple of flatbeds that would not have been any use,” he said.

Just moments after Sheriff enlisted Crawford’s help, the teenager jumped off the bridge and landed safely on top of the 18 wheeler.

“As soon as I went under and started under the bridge, I looked up. The young man looks down at me, and I thought, ‘Oh, man. He’s serious,’” Crawford told KDFW. “As soon as I got under the bridge with my tractor and got the trailer under it, I felt a thump.”

Sheriff told the Dallas outlet that he previously was a truck driver, which is where he got the idea to enlist the help of the big rig.

“That’s the whole reason 99.9 percent of us got in this job is to make a difference and to help,” he said.

Police told KDFW that the boy was not injured from the jump and is getting mental health treatment.

“The young man’s going to get help. The bottom line: he needed help,” Crawford said.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

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