NYPD responders talked suicidal man down from rooftop

ESU responders help a distraught man off a roof.

A distraught Queens man facing eviction from his home climbed to his snowy rooftop with no socks or shoes to take his life, police sources said.

But quick-acting cops from NYPD’s Emergency Services Unit stopped that from happening.

Police received a 911 call at 7 a.m. that stated a man in Far Rockaway was on top of his roof and was getting ready to jump, an NYPD spokesperson told The Post.

Detective Daniel Ortiz, on the tail end of his midnight tour, was among the ESU responders.

“There was an elderly man on the edge. He seemed aggravated and upset. At first, he refused to speak to me or my partner or anyone,” the 39-year-old told The Post.

Ortiz, a fluent Spanish speaker, heard the 60-year-old man “mumbling in Spanish” and piped in, attempting to build rapport.

“I took the lead in speaking. I just reassured him me and my team were there to help him and no matter the situation, we could help him and find another way,” Ortiz explained.

“He seemed very upset, he was shivering, he was cold… I tried to gain his trust by talking to him calmly and just trying to get him off the ledge.

“I was talking about family, asking if there was a situation and if there was anything we could help him with. I just wanted him to feel comfortable and no one was there to hurt him.”

As the man’s feet dangled in the freezing snow from the top of the seven-story building, Ortiz continued to speak to him gently, and all the while, inched closer and closer to him.

“I was within arms reach and my team members were able to distract him briefly and I was able to grab him by the shoulder and get him off the ledge,” Ortiz said.

“He thanked us all in Spanish right away and that in itself felt good. It was rewarding.”

Ortiz said he and his team train for these moments and while they don’t always turn out this good, he was relieved that they succeeded.

“It just felt good knowing we helped someone in crisis,” Ortiz said.

“Now he has a chance in life.”