Ex-Firefighter Threatens to Jump off Top of Transport Centre, Requests Interview with Cliff Hughes
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January 6, 2025
Shadane Bennett, a former firefighter, climbed atop the Half-Way Tree (HWT) Transport Centre on Monday afternoon with a wire, threatening to jump.
In a video shared by Nationwide News, Bennett had requested to speak to the media to publicly voice his concerns. Cliff Hughes, who was on the other end of the line, spoke with Bennett on the phone, where he could be heard crying at the beginning of the conversation.
The emotional exchange featured Bennett apologizing for his earlier demeanor and expressing that he preferred to speak in person in a more appropriate setting, which was agreed upon by both parties.
“The thing is I want to talk to you and I don’t want to talk to you in a manner like this because I am a big man and you are .. so I prefer to be in the studio so I can share what is on my chest,” Bennett said.
The reason behind Bennett’s actions remains unclear. During the phone call, he said, “Yuh don’t understand, yuh don’t understand, me a try everything.” When Hughes asked further about his intent, he responded, “There’s a lot of things going on enuh…”
Bennett also addressed the Jamaican public, saying, “Thanks, but I have to do what I have to do.”
Watch the video of Bennett and Hughes’ conversation below:
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Emergency responders were on the scene of the incident, which is said to have began at about 3 p.m. and lasted for two hours.
Heroically, at one point, a man was seen climbing the walls of the Transport Centre and reaching Bennett, where the two men embraced in a hug. Onlookers could be heard cheering from the sidelines.
Bennett is reportedly now in police custody.
