Disappeared News

by Larry Geller

Averie Kenery, a flight attendant laying over in New York City, had swallowed a bottle of pills and wasn’t breathing when police broke down her door in Jamaica, Queens. But how did they find her? No one knew exactly where she was staying. Thanks to her clear-thinking mom in Honolulu, quick police action, and no thanks to 911, her life was saved.

Since this is a blog, I cannot reproduce articles in full. I do urge readers to click through and check out this amazing story of quick thinking and police action that saved a woman’s life—long distance, from Hawaii to Jamaica, Queens.

The story was broken by the New York Daily News, but for detail, please see the article in GMA News, you’ll find the whole story there. I won’t spoil the story by telling you how the police found her.

Averie Kenery, 32, swallowed a bottle of pills and called her mother and husband in Honolulu just before 5 p.m. Sunday to tell them, "I apologize for what I've done. Tell my kids I love them," a police source told the Daily News.

[Daily News, Ringing cell phone saves woman's life: Attempted suicide saved by mom's long distance call to cops, 7/21/2011]

Here is the longer GMA News story:

The call came from someplace at a crash pad near JFK airport in Queens, New York. The phone dropped from Kenery’s hand as she passed out.

The rescue began after Kenery’s mother Beth Walz had used another phone to call 911 almost immediately after Kenery’s call.

But she got no help because she could only specify an intersection in Kew Gardens, not an exact address which an operator demanded to locate Kerry.

Walz and other family members called up different police stations around the area until Walz reached Detective Charles LoPresti of the 103rd Precinct Detective Squad.

[GMA News, Fil-Am in New York rescued from suicide attempt, 7/30/2011]

LoPresti sprung into action, as the article reports. I won’t snip further, please read the article.

Officer Charles LoPresti will be recognized for his heroism. For more on his quick response and recognition, check out this final article:

Detective Charles LoPresti of the 103rd Precinct has tackled hundreds of cases involving emergency calls all over the city in his 22-year career with New York’s Finest, but he successfully handled one of the longest distance pleas for help his squad has received.

LoPresti and a team of three detectives were able to save a distraught, 32-year-old flight attendant who attempted suicide while staying in a flight crew crash pad in Jamaica. The detective, who has spent 20 combined years with the stationhouse, said he and his partners were lucky to save Averie Kenery because her family called the NYPD from their home in Honolulu, Hawaii, and did not know her exact location.

[yournabe.com, 103rd cop saves flight attendant after Hawaii call, 7/28/2011]

Permalink posted by Larry @ 7/30/2011 05:21:00 AM