Last night at approximately 11:30 in the evening, Roselle Park Police responded to a house on Laurel Avenue on a report of a missing person. The who called the police reported that his 79-year-old sister had been missing since 4:30 that afternoon. He provided his sister’s vehicle’s description and registration number along with information on some of her known usual destinations.
As the responding officers gathered details, Patrolman John Deegan began searching the missing 79-year-old’s favorite local spots. Unable to locate her, officer Deegan expanded his search area. A short while later, officer Deegan observed a vehicle matching the description given in the Overlook Hospital-Union Campus parking lot. Upon inspecting the vehicle, he saw the missing woman lying across the front seats of the car with some sort of ligature tied around her neck. The woman did not respond to Patrolman Deegan’s attempts to get her attention. He was joined at the scene by Sergeant Michael Wielgus and Patrolman Brian Macdonald.
The officers forced entry into the vehicle through a rear window and removed the victim from the car. Patrolman Deegan cut the ligature from the woman’s neck and provided medical aid until he was assisted by staff from Overlook Hospital. The woman reportedly later told police that she was depressed and intended to harm herself. An empty prescription bottle and suicide note were located in the car according to reports.
The woman was admitted into the hospital and was later transferred to Trinitas Hospital.