Four Geneva police officers were honored by the City Council Monday evening for their successful efforts to save the life of a distraught woman last October.
Geneva Police Chief Eric Passarelli presented Life Saving Medals to the officers at the meeting.
Sgt. Mark Russo, Officers Dan Yates, Bob Pech, and Sarah Sullivan were honored for saving a suicidal person running into traffic on Randall Road on October 15, 2024. The officers were dispatched to a call at 12:22pm near Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in regards to a woman who was seen by hospital staff members leaving a bathroom while bleeding from her neck and leg area.
The woman evaded hospital staff to head outside the building. The Geneva Police officers located the woman walking near Delnor Hospital’s Health and Fitness Center along Randall Road and attempted to deescalate the situation to get her necessary medical treatment.
The woman refused any help and ran onto Randall Road, where she was nearly struck by a southbound vehicle. The officers ran into traffic chasing the woman and were able to detain her against the Randall Road northbound guardrail. When being searched, the woman grabbed a razor blade from the waistband of her underwear. The woman tightly clutched the razor blade in her left hand, causing additional bleeding and posing an extreme danger to the officers.
Officer Yates was able to break the woman’s grip on the razor blade, and she was quickly placed into handcuffs for her own safety, as well as the safety of the responding officers. Officer Sullivan later found a second razor blade in the woman’s sock.
The decisive actions by all four police officers, taken without regard for potential hazards, resolved a perilous situation without any substantial injuries. The woman is alive today due to the life-saving efforts of these outstanding Geneva Police officers.
According to the Geneva Police Department’s internal policy, the Life Saving Medal is awarded for an act performed in the line of duty, which through disregard of personal safety or prompt and alert reaction, results in the saving of a person’s life.
At the City Council meeting, Chief Passarelli praised the officers for their bravery and skills in providing professional care to the woman. “There is no doubt these officers helped save the woman’s life due to their diligent and selfless efforts,” Chief Passarelli added.
