Citizen honored for saving suicidal man

by BRIAN NADIG

The 16th (Jefferson Park) Police District Advisory Committee at its meeting May 17 honored a citizen for saving the life of another man and heard a report about recent gunshot incidents with possible gang connections.

District commander William Looney and committee chairman Thomas Bucaro presented a certificate of recognition to Dominik Nestorowicz, who on May 4 stopped a 22-year-old man from hanging himself. Relatives of the man attended the meeting and thanked Nestorowicz.

"You observed a male subject tying a rope from a railing off the bridge over the Des Plaines River. Believing that the male was about to hang himself, you dialed 911 and alerted the police.

"(From the Rosemont CTA Station) you jumped over the fence and two train tracks and untied the rope from the subject’s neck. We would like to commend you for your selfless actions and community involvement which saved a precious life," Looney said.

After the rope was untied, the man fell into the river, and Nestorowicz helped him out of the water, according to police.

Also at the meeting, it was reported that a suspected gang member appears to have been the target of gunshots that were fired at about 2:45 p.m. Wednesday, May 16, in front of the Jefferson Park CTA Terminal, 4917 N. Milwaukee Ave. No one was hurt, and the gunshots reportedly came from a passing car, police said.

Police also have received recent reports of suspected gang members loitering in the area, including at the Jefferson Memorial Park, 4822 N. Long Ave., Looney said.

The man who was shot at provided little information to officers, police said.

In a previous encounter with police, the man gave a Portage Park area address as his home, where the district held an outdoor roll call last year due to reported drug activity in front of the apartment building, according to police.

A resident at the meeting reported that area home owners continue to have concerns about suspicious activity at the building, which is located near Linder Avenue and Addison Street.

Also on May 16, gunshots were reported at about 8:15 p.m. near the Dickinson Playlot Park, 4101 N. Lavergne Ave., and one of the gunshots reportedly hit a vehicle while it was traveling in the 5000 block of West Irving Park Road, police said. A surveillance camera showed people in the park scattering around the time of the reported gunshots, police said.

A 911 caller reported seeing individuals making gang gestures that evening near the park, police said.

Also, Looney reported that the number of reported burglaries in the district in the past 28 days was 27, compared to 32 during the same period last year, and the number of robberies was 11, the same as in 2017.

Meanwhile, the committee presented its "Officer of the Month Award" to Evan Solano and Daniel Mersch for their March 21 arrest of a man who reportedly fired gunshots in the 4000 block of North Laporte Avenue. The man was apprehended after a foot chase, police said.