A young man threatened to jump off the top of Van Hise Hall Friday, according to UW-Madison Police Department Spokesperson Ruth Ewing.
UW police received a call at 4:06 p.m. Friday that there was a suicidal subject on the corner of the roof overlooking Charter Street and Observatory Drive.
A professional negotiating team was prepared to come to the scene, but university police in the building succeeded in convincing the man to come off the roof around 6 p.m.
Officers rerouted traffic down University Avenue and blocked off the perimeter of the building to ensure there was no danger to people in the surrounding area, according to Ewing.
Observatory Drive was shut down from Babcock Drive to Park Street.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam said she hopes other UW-Madison students who may have similar feelings will be open in the aftermath of the incident.
""This is not a time to suffer in silence,"" Berquam said. ""If this resonates with anybody or this triggers anything, then I hope that students will talk to each other, talk to trusted professionals and colleagues so that they can get the support that they need during this time.""
—Kayla Johnson
