by Marc and Julie Anderson
mjanderson@theleaven.org
MERRIAM — For Jessica Compton-Crocker, Wednesday, Sept. 10, started out like any other school day.
A counselor at Good Shepherd School in Shawnee, she was driving from her home in Overland Park to work.
Around 7:20 a.m., as she turned onto 75th St., she saw a man who had climbed the black chain link fence on the bridge above I-35. Seeing that he had one leg draped over the fence, she realized he was thinking of jumping off the bridge.
Putting her car in park, she turned on the hazard lights and instructed her son to stay put.
“I knew time was of the essence,” Compton-Crocker said, “so I ran. I held onto the man’s hand and wrist and said, ‘I’m here. I’m here. I’ve got you.’ I am a small woman, but somehow the Holy Spirit gave me the strength to pull this man down. He was crying and distressed, and we hugged. I told him my name, and he shared his (we will refer to him as “Jude” for the purposes of this story).
“Jude shared he felt he couldn’t do [life] anymore,” she said. “I promised Jude that he is loved and has worth and dignity.”
Having left her phone in the car, she realized someone had called 911. Officers from the Merriam Police Department arrived on the scene.
“Instead of coming in with sirens and flashing lights, they were careful not to startle him,” Compton-Crocker said. “They were incredibly patient — as I was — with Jude as he was not wanting to go with the police.
“I assured Jude that he would get help and again, that he is loved. I then asked Jude if I could pray over him, and he said, ‘Yes.’ I invited the officers to pray with me.
“There, on a busy overpass, we stood in prayer over Jude. I begged God to come into Jude’s heart in a very real and profound way, to remind him he is loved and never alone. Jude asked if I could go with him, but I knew I could not. I touched my heart and said he would be right there and continually prayed for.
“And he has been and will be every single day.”
Ann McGuff, principal of Good Shepherd, said she wasn’t surprised by her employee’s actions.
“She didn’t hesitate; she just stepped in to help,” said McGuff. “That’s who she is every day. She’s calm, caring and steady, and people trust her because they feel that from her. What she did that day was remarkable, but it was also completely in character for her.”
“Helping others is just part of who she is,” McGuff added.
Compton-Crocker later learned she truly was in the “right place at the right time.”
Not only is September National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, but Sept. 10 was World Suicide Prevention Day. The timing, she said, gave her butterflies.
“God’s timing is always perfect if we listen and answer his call,” she said.
And that’s something with which Katie Stilwell, a licensed professional counselor and a consultant to the archdiocesan school office, agrees.
“When Jessica shared her story at our recent school counselors’ meeting, the room fell silent. We could all feel the weight of the moment,” she said. “Everyone was deeply moved by her courage, quick action and the simple but profound power of her words: ‘I’m here.’”
“Many of us,” Stilwell continued, “were brought to tears as we reflected on the gravity of that moment and the life that was spared because she chose to stop.
“Her response embodied what it truly means to uphold the dignity and value of every human life — not just in theory, but in action.”
Having provided suicide prevention training many times, Stilwell said the training never focuses on intervening in the act itself but warning signs and available resources.
“In that instance, this man felt so completely alone,” said Stillwell. “Jessica showed him that he wasn’t. That simple act was so powerful.”
“So often, people worry they won’t have the right words, but her response shows that sometimes it isn’t about saying the perfect thing — it’s about showing up,” added Stilwell. “By being there and taking his hand, she communicated that his life mattered.”
Editor’s note: Jude’s real name has been changed to protect the man’s privacy.
