Sheriff’s deputies recognized for life-saving actions
A Tuolumne County Sheriff’s corporal and Calaveras County Sheriff’s deputy were formally recognized on Tuesday for their heroic, quick-thinking actions on Feb. 8 that prevented a man from taking his own life by jumping off Parrotts Ferry Bridge over New Melones Reservoir.
The Tuolumne County Board of Supervisors present certificates of recognition to Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Cpl. Andrew Long and Calaveras County Sheriff’s Deputy Jason Markovitz, who are credited with rescuing the man just as he was about to take the likely fatal 150-foot plunge.
“Everything we do in law enforcement and as first responders is a team effort, so there’s no way I could have done that by myself,” Long said before noting Markovitz, search-and-rescue volunteers, and others who helped that day. “Personally, it’s hard to understand how it happened. It happened. In my opinion, I got some help from above and, thankfully, he’s here today and got the help he needed.”
Calaveras County Sheriff Rick Dibasilio said the two agencies work well together while accepting the award at the public meeting on Markovitz’s behalf because Markovitz had to be in court on Tuesday for another case.
Dibasilio also talked about how the incident was an example of the dedication that law enforcement officers have for the communities they serve.
“People tend to say that this is a hero’s job, this is not a hero’s job,” he said. “These guys and gals do this everyday. This is their job, this is what they signed on for, and they enjoy doing it.”
Long and Markovitz were among those who responded to the bridge early in the morning hours of Feb. 8 to search for a Tuolumne County man who was reported as possibly suicidal and looking to take his own life.
The call initially came into the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office about 12:30 a.m. on Feb. 8 and led to a cross-county search effort by law enforcement agencies in both counties, including both sheriff’s offices, California Highway Patrol, and the Angels Camp Police Department.
After hours of searching and finding the man’s vehicle near the bridge without any sign of him, it was believed that he had possibly already jumped, and search-and-rescue volunteers were brought in to help comb the shores of beneath the bridge.
Long later encountered the man sometime between about 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. after he appeared on the bridge. The cor
poral tried to talk with the man for several minutes, but he began to climb over the railing of the bridge.
At a press conference the following day, Long recounted how he was roughly 40 to 50 feet away from the man and broke into a sprint as he climbed the guardrail. Long then managed to catch the man by his arm through the guardrail and received help from Markovitz to pull him back over to the other side.
A dramatic image was taken by the Calaveras County Sheriff’s drone team of Long holding onto the man by his arm through the railing as he dangled above the reservoir, which was published by news organizations throughout the United
States.
Tuolumne County Bill Pooley noted the “amazing event” while presenting his office’s Life-saving Medal to Long on Tuesday at the meeting.
“The comment was made from a news reporter out of New York that said, ‘This is the photo that movies are made of.’ ” Pooley said. “It’s just absolutely incredible.”
The identity of the man who was has not been disclosed publicly at the time or since the incident, though sheriff’s officials said he was treated at the scene and taken for a mental health evaluation to determine the types of services he could be provided.
Each of the five county supervisors took turns commending the actions of the officers and thanking them for what they did.