About a month ago, on May 1, a 21-year-old male jumped 58 feet off the top floor of Parking Garage 2 in an attempted suicide. This is the third major incident involving a FGCU parking garage since 2020, but the first on main campus.
FGCU’s University Police Department (UPD) investigated the incident and provided a statement in its investigation report.
A brown Volvo was seen through surveillance footage heading up to the fifth floor around 4:28 p.m. San Carlos Park Fire Department and Lee County EMS responded at 4:53 p.m. that night.
The student, identified as a white non-Hispanic, survived and was found lying in the grass between two palm trees on the north side of Garage 2 with severe, sustained injuries to his legs when a caller alerted the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, who then notified UPD.
At around 5 p.m., he was transported to Gulf Coast Medical Center for trauma care while UPD Detective Whitten came to investigate the scene. The subject’s family was contacted the next day and the case was closed.
The last time a similar incident occurred was Aug. 2, 2022, involving a member of the community, not a FGCU student or employee, off Garage B, the South Village parking garage. In contrast to the most recent incident, the 20-year-old male’s attempt resulted in death.
The first incident also occurred on the sixth floor of the SoVi parking garage on Jan. 31, 2020, where the subject survived.
However, when both of these past incidents occurred, UPD informed the campus on the same day to ease concerns. For the most recent incident, no such information was sent via email or on social media. So, not many students were made aware.
To prevent crisis situations like these in the future, FGCU offers mental health and grief counseling, as well as other resources, to students and staff who need assistance.
Students:
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS): (239) 590-7950, [email protected]
24/7 CAPS Crisis Line: (239) 745-EARS (3277)
Student Care Services: [email protected]
Togetherall: https://account.v2.togetherall.com/register/student
UBYou: https://link-to.app/ubyou
Staff:
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) services, including mental health counseling available 24/7: (833) 746-8337, www.mylifeexpert.com. Use company code: Florida.
FGCU’s Community Counseling Center:(239) 745-4777, www.fgcu.edu/mariebcollege/counseling/communitycounseling.
