Letter Carrier Marc Augustus was making deliveries one day last fall at a housing complex in Geneva, NY, when a 13-year-old boy approached him and asked him to call the police.
“Why?” Augustus asked.
“Because I don’t want to live anymore,” the teen replied.
The USPS employee immediately called 911, calmed the boy, gave him a coat to wear and sheltered him in the postal vehicle until emergency responders arrived.
While they waited, Augustus observed apparent self-inflicted injuries on the teen’s arm, and he spoke to other youths on the scene who had also earlier heard the boy talking about harming himself.
“Marc was in the right place at the right time,” said Geneva Postmaster Vernon Ficcaglia. “He saved this boy’s life by taking immediate action.”