Middletown police say mental health emergency de-escalated, roads reopened

Officers with Middletown police say they are dealing with someone who is going through some sort of mental health emergency on John Street.

Melanie Palmer

Oct 30, 2024, 9:16 PM

Updated 2 days ago

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Police in Middletown say a mental health emergency has been de-escalated after hours of negotiations.
It started Wednesday afternoon near the corner of John Street and North Street.
Police told News 12 there was no risk to the public however, nearby roads were closed off as a precaution.
"We called the special operations group from Orange County Sheriff to assist us in negotiating and try to de-escalate the situation and get him to surrender voluntarily. We do believe he is in possession of a knife and a hammer," says Lt. Jeffry Thoelen, with Middletown police.
Officers say the situation has since been resolved.
The whole ordeal left some neighbors on edge.
"It's sad because there's a lot of kids around here and it's a family neighborhood so to have this happen, it's tough," says Middletown resident Wendy Weschler.