Friend saves teenager from suicide attempt — despite being on the other side of the world
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
A 15-year-old boy from Queen Creek, Arizona was saved from an apparent overdose when first responders arrived at his home after an overseas friend notified federal authorities.
Sonu Wasu, the town's public information officer for public safety, told TODAY in a phone call that the Queen Creek’s dispatch center, which is located in Mesa, received a call from federal authorities. The town’s dispatch was told that there was a report from a caller overseas — either in Europe, or Russia — who was one of the the teenager’s online gaming friends.
The friend reportedly told authorities that they had been online with the teenager when he expressed suicidal ideation. Out of concern, they reached out to authorities in the United States.
“Whoever answered that call in D.C. took initiative to reach out to our non-emergency number for Queen Creek police and so our officer was dispatched to the house to do a welfare check to see what was going on and verify this,” Wasu explained.
When officer Simon Lopez arrived to the family’s home, the teenager’s parents answered the door and were not aware of the situation. When the mother went to go check on her son, who was alone in his bedroom, he was unresponsive.
Police found that he had overdosed on an unknown number of pills. Lopez administered a dose of Narcan, a nasal spray that can reverse opioid overdoses, which the teen appeared to respond to. The teen was transported to the hospital.
There are no further details of the status of the teen at this time.
In 2017, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey signed an emergency declaration addressing the rise in opioid deaths across the state. The next year, the Arizona Opioid Epidemic Act was passed with unanimous support to address and prevent opioid use.
Among the initiatives within the act was the authorization of law enforcement, including the police department, and county health departments to administer naloxone, which is sold under names including Narcan and Evzio.
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