City Of Minnetonka Community Member Recognized For Life-Saving Effort

Minnetonka MN

11 April, 2022

3:16 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Minnetonka: April 8, 2022 Sometimes being in the right place at the right time can save a life. The Minnetonka Police Department recently recognized Amber Roloff with a Citizen Award for her life-saving assistance in pulling a man to safety after he threatened to jump into I-394 traffic. The Maple Grove resident was on a phone interview on the 394 frontage road the morning of Feb. 28 when she spotted a Minnetonka police officer struggling with a man standing on a ledge over 394. Officer Illya Kuznetsov was attempting to convince the man, who had fled from a domestic situation, to climb back over the fence. Kuznetsov made a tactical attempt to grab the man, but the ground was slippery and the fence was shaking. "I saw the police officer against the fence, and he was doing everything to get this guy," Roloff recalled. Realizing the man was attempting to jump, "I just ran the up the hill. I didn't even know what I was doing … and I was like, "uh, uh, not today. We're not doing this today.'" With Roloff's assistance, the pair pulled the man to safety. "Out of nowhere, Amber appeared and grabbed onto the [man]," Kuznetsov said. "She kept holding him until another officer showed up, and we were able to take him into custody." (The man was transported by Hennepin EMS for evaluation.) Roloff left the scene without Kuznetsov having an opportunity to thank her. "She had no fear, and without her actions the outcome could have been different," he said. "If the fence would have broken, both of us could have easily went down." This press release was produced by the City of Minnetonka. The views expressed here are the author's own.