Clay County deputy saves suicidal teen who climbed Worlds of Fun water tower

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A suicidal teen was safely talked down from the Worlds of Fun water tower last night after speaking with his school resource officer, Deputy Jonathan Bransfield, for 40 minutes.

Just after 9:30 p.m., The Kansas City Missouri Police Department responded to a call of a runaway teen and shortly after found the middle schooler actively climbing the amusement park’s water tower, which reaches 115 feet from the ground. Refusing to speak with anyone other than his school’s resource officer, the KCPD called Bransfield, who arrived shortly after.

The teen said he wanted to see Bransfield so he could “say good-bye and thank him for all he’d done for him.” Instead, Bransfield “engaged him in a conversation about his struggles” for almost an hour before the convincing the teen to climb down safely.

The teen was transported to a mental health facility after the incident.