VIDEO: Harvard police officers rescue suicidal man

HARVARD, Ill. (WLS) -- Two police officers in far northwest suburban Harvard literally jumped to save a man having a personal crisis. They said they had less than a minute to decide and react, but they were able to save him.

"I just remember when he went over, I said, 'I don't want this kid to die,'" Officer Cody Noren said. He and Officer Keith Salas were at the end of their midnight shifts when they heard the call: a man sitting on the railing over the railroads tracks right in the heart of Harvard was looking down, ready to jump.

"'My name is Keith, tell me what's going on,'" Officer Salas said. "It was just a conversation to make him feel comfortable. 'Hey, how's it going? Obviously you are going through something difficult right now.'"

Officer Noren arrived within seconds, keeping a bit of a distance. Both officers tried to keep the conversation going to distract the 20-year-old man. They thought it was working.

"We both believed he was going to step over the rail and come talk to us - and all of a sudden he just disappeared," Officer Noren said. "We both go running towards him and grab him in time before he fell."

"He was dangling by one hand, I grabbed his arm," Officer Salas said. "Officer Noren reached down and grabbed a leg and we lifted him up over."

The officers' body cam video captured the event that Salas and Noren say happened so quickly. The five-year veterans credit their years working together and good chemistry for saving the man's life.

"I just feel blessed that it worked out OK," Officer Noren said.

The man was immediately taken to the hospital to get the right help. The Harvard police chief said Officers Salas and Noren will be getting an award at the next City Council meeting in Harvard.