Crowd Urged 21YO To Jump Instead of Helping Him, Allegedly Filmed Him As He Plunged To His Death

A video recently went viral last week on a Friday afternoon.

It contains disturbing content of a 21-year-old university student in Indonesia’s Lampung province, jumping from the roof of a four-storey building to his death.

As grave as the content was, what disturbed viewers more was the crowd who were on the roof with the student, and their careless behaviour.

“Jump, jump, jump!”

Instead of persuading the student to come down from the ledge, video evidence showed that the crowd was chanting, “Jump, Jump, Jump!” to him, as they laughed and egged the student to commit suicide.

However, their laughter only turned into horrified screams when he jumped off the ledge to his death.

To make matters worse, many of them were filming the entire spectacle on their phones.

We would, for obvious reasons, not going to embed any of these videos.

Focused More On Filming Than Helping

In fact, Heni, a witness of the incident, said that majority of people who had gathered outside the mall to witness the suicide were more preoccupied with filming with their smartphones than showing sympathy for, let alone attempting to help, the victim.

“I even saw up there [on the rooftop] a man who was wearing black. I thought he was negotiating with the victim so he wouldn’t commit suicide, but he was actually among those who took pictures,” Heni said.

No Peace After Death

Reported from Tribunnews, the body of student arrived at the funeral home on Friday night. (22 Feb). According to the boy’s father, there was no sign or warning about his son’s departure.

Out of blue as it had seemed, this is, unfortunately, the case for most suicide victims. Although some people who commit suicide have an identifiable mental health problem, such as depression, other’s don’t.

For most people, the decision is often made hours or even minutes before the act.

Suicide Can Be Prevented

When an individual is unable to save themselves, though not known, community support is crucial.

Unfortunately, like what happened in the student’s case, the local community was unable to help because of the bystander effect.

The bystander effect is a social psychological phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when other people are present. The greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that one of them will help.

While most suicides are not preceded by warnings, not all are.

Behavioural Signs

In a Harvard Health research, a few behaviours that may put friends and family on notice that the risk of suicide is on the rise was consolidated.

• Talking about suicide: Statements like “I’d be better off dead” or “If I see you again…,”
• Seeking the means: Trying to get access to guns, pills, or other objects that could be used in a suicide attempt.
• No hope for the future: Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and being trapped, or believing that things will never get better.
• Self-loathing: Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, shame, and self-hatred.
• Getting affairs in order: Giving away prized possessions or making arrangements for family members.
• Saying goodbye: Unusual or unexpected visits or calls to family and friends; saying goodbye to people as if they won’t be seen again.

People who exhibit these signs are often communicating their distress, hoping to get a response. This is very useful information that shouldn’t be ignored.

Moving forward from this incident, perhaps one thing we all need to learn is how to extend a helping hand to those in danger.

If you detect any of the mentioned signs in a loved one, or even yourself, please tell a family member or a friend immediately. Talking is the first step to healing.

However, if you would rather talk to a professional or a counsellor, you may contact these places:

• Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• CHAT @ *SCAPE: (+65) 6493 6500, (+65) 6493 6501
• SAF Counselling Hotline: 1800-278-0022