Patriot of the Week: Officer Eric Mercurio

This week's Patriot honor goes to an officer who spent six hours talking a man off a ledge -- and then, when words ran out, physically pulled him back over the railing himself.

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On the 15th floor of a Montgomery County, Maryland apartment building, a man climbed out onto a balcony ledge and threatened to jump. Montgomery County Police Officer III Eric Mercurio was among the officers who responded, and as hours of tense negotiation stretched on, Mercurio ended up suspended by rope over the edge of the building, holding onto the man with one arm.

After nearly six hours, the standoff suddenly escalated. Mercurio grabbed hold of the man as the situation turned critical, and other officers rushed in to help pull both men back over the railing and to safety, ending the crisis without loss of life.

For his actions, Mercurio received the Gold Medal of Valor -- the highest honor given out at Montgomery County's 51st Annual Public Safety Awards this March, an event that also recognized dozens of police officers, firefighters, and other first responders across the county for acts of heroism over the past year, from flood rescues to house-fire saves.

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No headlines chasing him, no cameras rolling for glory -- just an officer who wouldn't let go, literally, until the job was done. Salute Officer Mercurio, America.

Source: Montgomery County Government, Bethesda Magazine