This week’s Hometown Hero. presented by Hendrick Southpoint, is Sylvester Bethea.
On the morning of June 24, Bethea was driving on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when he encountered a woman walking in the travel lanes towards oncoming traffic. He slowed, then stopped, to stop from striking the woman and realized that she was not merely crossing the road but was purposely walking into traffic.
“He immediately pulled his vehicle over and he walked behind the pedestrian, waving traffic over to the side of the road,” said Sgt. Paul Bell from the Chapel Hill Police Department.
Bethea called 911 and Chapel Hill Police responded to the scene.
“The only thing the victim would respond is that she was trying to kill herself,” Bell said. “She wanted to end it all.”
Chapel Hill Police contacted crisis counselors and — with their assistance — were able to deescalate the situation and provide the woman with a ride to the hospital for further assistance and evaluation.
Bell said of the many vehicles that passed by the woman, only Bethea stopped and provided assistance to her.
“We need more of [him,]” Bell said. “The community is what everybody contributes to it.”
