Three Pennsylvania State Police officers from the Schuylkill Haven station are credited with saving a man who tried to take his own life by jumping into the Little Schuylkill River earlier this year in the Molino area.

Cpl. Michael Sadusky, head of the station's crime unit; Cpl. William Luckenbill; and trooper Matthew Tonitis were able to pull the man from the water before he got caught in the current and drowned.The incident unfolded on Aug. 29, when a report was received that a 37-year-old man sent a text message to his family saying he wanted to die due to work and personal issues and left home with his cellphone and rope. Police checked a local cemetery where the man's father was buried but could not find him, nor could they reach him on his cellphone.A subsequent search found the man's vehicle parked by the river near routes 61 and 895 in West Brunswick Township and assistance called from a state police helicopter as well as the Schuylkill Haven Fire Department dive team. Sadusky said the man was seen walking through the woods, into the river and then walking to the center of the river toward a bridge at Route 61.The corporal said at that point, the man began to swim due to the deep water he was entering, and he would not talk to the officers and threw his cellphone to the shore. Then, Sadusky said, the helicopter crew saw the man under the bridge as he was going under the water for several seconds in an obvious attempt to do himself harm.After police on the ground saw the man go under the water several times and struggling to stay afloat, the decision was made to enter the water and rescue him.Sgt. Fred Krute, station commander, said Sadusky, Luckenbill and Tonitis entered the water while another officer manned a rope. The three were able to get to the man in the center of the river and bring him back to shore to safety."They couldn't wait any longer," Krute said of the decision to rescue the man prior to the arrival of the dive team. "They did not swerve from the path of duty, they did what needed to be done."Sadusky, Luckenbill and Tonitis said the thought of their own safety fell second behind getting the man who was in an obvious life-threatening situation to safety."He was exhibiting signs of trouble and we knew what had to be done," Sadusky said."This is what we do," Krute said not only of the three officers involved in the river rescue but of the entire Pennsylvania State Police."We all got into this as a career, not a job," he said.Although all three officers can swim, going into a water rescue situation in uniform and civilian clothing enhances the dangers of becoming a victim as well. When the emergency was over, the man was treated by EMS and then taken to a Pottsville area hospital with only one belt keeper and a pair of sunglasses lost in the effort.Distributed by The Associated Press