'U' Student Saves Woman From Jumping Off Bridge
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Some may call him a hero, but a University of Minnesota freshman says he was simply at the right place at the right time.
Tom Stolee, 19, of Duluth spent Easter Sunday on the university Twin Cities campus. He never imagined while out on a run, he would end up saving a woman's life.
"She was looking down at the water and walking really slow," Stolee said.
He made a note of the way the 24-year-old woman was acting and decided to stop.
"She stood up and leaned over the edge of the railing," he said.
Stolee works as a security monitor on campus, but he has never been trained for this type of crisis. He tried to engage the woman by asking if he could help her, but she told him to get away from her.
Stolee backed up, but didn't give up. They talked for about 25 more minutes.
"I was stressed, very stressed," Stolee said.
When a few bicyclists passed, Stolee motioned for them to get help and they called campus police.
"I calmed down as much as I could because if I'm calm, she's calm," Stolee said.
After some time, he asked to help the woman down from the railing but she swung her other leg over the railing to face the water.
"It hit me if I don't do anything now she's going to jump, so I can either watch her or try to catch her. So I just lunged and grabbed her," Stolee said.
The woman didn't resist, she only cried.
Police arrived soon after and took the woman away. Stolee said he and the woman embraced and each thanked the other.
Stolee doesn't like to think about what might have happened if his path hadn't crossed hers -- he only wants others to pay close attention to their surroundings.
"If you see something, say something," he said.
Stolee knows every situation like this one could be very different and it may be best to immediately call 911. Unfortunately, he didn't have his phone that day.
He said he doesn't want any special recognition, but he did get a call from the University President thanking him for what he did.
