Pasadena High School Student Attempts to Hang Himself, Bystanders Rescue Him

A 15-year-old boy who attempted to hang himself at the Pasadena High School football field Wednesday morning remains in a medically induced state this morning..

A group of bystanders who were in a park near the school saw the boy and rushed to save him, Pasadena Fire Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

The boy is a PHS student, as related by witnesses. He was in critical condition when rushed to the hospital.

“Yesterday at about 11:30 a.m. on the football field at Pasadena High School, a student witnessed that it was male student, 15 years old,” Derderian said on Thursday. “There were some bystanders in the park that was adjacent to the school that cut him down right away.”

“We credit the bystanders for helping do quickly to give him a chance for survival,” Derderian said.

Firefighters who responded to the scene were then redirected to the football field adjacent to Victory Park, and found the teen on the ground. The boy was transported to a hospital afterwards.

“He’s going to be in the hospital for a while and we’re hoping for the best,” Derderian said. “We did work with Pasadena Unified School District administrative staff to ensure we have messages out right away to the teachers and the parents so that they knew what happened. Through the school district, we’re encouraging parents if they see anything – behavior that’s different in their students, or if the students or parents need someone to talk to, that we want them to come and seek help through the counsellors at the school district.”

Derderian said the boy was a relatively new student to the school and there wasn’t much known about him yet or his parents. She said it may require days before his full condition is known.

“The hospital is doing all they can,” Derderian said.”He’s in a great trauma center. [He’s] getting the best care possible. We hope that over the course of several days, he’ll improve.”