Hudson Valley Police Help Suicidal 20-Year-Old

Police likely saved the life of a potentially suicidal 20-year-old who threatened to burn down his Hudson Valley home.

On Sunday around 6:20 p.m., members of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office and Carmel police responded to a home on Bullet Hole Road in Mahopac to perform a welfare check on a possible suicidal 20-year-old man.

When officers made contact, they say the 20-year-old became highly agitated. The young man allegedly told police he would not go back to the hospital and would stab anyone who tried to take him to the hospital.

The man then locked himself in a bedroom and threatened to burn the house down and stab any officer who attempted to gain access, police say.

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Additional officers from the Carmel Police Department and deputies from the Putnam County Sheriff’s Department responded to the scene to set up a safety perimeter around the house. Members from the Putnam County Emergency Response Team and Putnam County Hostage Negotiation Team also responded.

The Emergency Response Team surrounded the home while the Hostage Negotiation Team tried to make contact with the man who was still barricaded inside his room, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

A lead negotiator spoke with the 20-year-old for over an hour and was able to convince him to surrender peacefully.

He was taken to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. No injuries were reported.

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