Bethel girl wins award after saving life of suicidal friend

Danielle Wildman, of Bethel, has earned the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Trooper James W. Lambert Award,z for her courage in helping a fellow Nonnewaug High School student. Wednesday, October 25, 2017, in Bethel, Conn. less Danielle Wildman, of Bethel, has earned the Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection, Trooper James W. Lambert Award,z for her courage in helping a fellow Nonnewaug High School student. Wednesday, ... more Photo: H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Buy photo Photo: H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Bethel girl wins award after saving life of suicidal friend 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

BETHEL — Late on a February school night, Danielle Wildman was FaceTiming with her friend, having an ordinary conversation about school and their weekend plans.

But then Wildman’s friend started acting strangely.

Suddenly, she pulled out a loaded handgun and pointed it at her head, saying she did not know whether she could keep going. Danielle’s parents were asleep, so it was up to her to help her friend.

“I was scared and nervous, but I knew I had to stay calm and do the best to calm her down,” she said.

Wildman, a Bethel resident who is now a 17-year-old senior at Nonnewaug High School, persuaded her friend to put the gun down, then stayed on the phone for two hours that night.

Wildman had become close to the girl during their computer class last year, bonding over their shared love for riding horses.

“I pretty much talked about the horses, and that she had a bright future ahead of her and that she had a lot to live for because she was so young and she had a lot of opportunities,” Wildman said. “I knew she had a lot of dreams she wanted to fulfill.”

After they hung up, Wildman barely slept, texting her friend periodically to make sure she was O.K.

The next morning, Wildman told her mother, Wendy, what happened. Wendy Wildman at first was shocked that Danielle hadn’t awakened her.

“But she was afraid if she would have left the girl on the phone or went to tell us, that the girl would have been more at risk,” Wendy said.

The next day, Danielle went to school counselors and got her friend help.

“They kept calling her a hero that day, that she made the right decision in standing by her [friend] like that,” Wendy said.

For her actions, Connecticut State Police gave Wildman the Trooper James W. Lambert Award at a ceremony earlier this month. The award, named for a 26-year-old officer killed by a drunk driver on Oct. 29, 1960, is given to youth who show “exceptional courage and extraordinary decision making.”

“Danielle Wildman handled a very stressful event with courage and compassion,” the award reads. “She prevented a teen suicide and reported the incident to the proper authorities. Her actions make her a role model for other students and are in the highest tradition of the Connecticut State Police.”

Chris Maclean, Danielle’s counselor at Nonnewaug, said she acted “amazingly” in helping her friend on the phone and then telling the school.

“It’s often difficult for anyone to deal with an event that upsets them,” he said. “Reaching out for help, letting people know when you're having an issue or a friend is having an issue, is what we want our students to do. We don’t want them to not let anyone know, to try to cover up the problems that they’re having.”

Danielle hadn’t told her friend she would report the incident.

“I knew if she had a warning of it, she would try to cover it up, and I wanted her to get as much help as she could,” Danielle said. “She was upset at first, but then she realized I did it for the best and she was happy I did.”

Danielle also visited a counselor once a week after the incident. Her grades dropped last year, she said.

“I struggled focusing and getting homework and classwork done,” she said.

But this year both Danielle and her friend are doing better. Danielle has already been accepted into University of Northwestern Ohio, where she plans to study agricultural engineering.

Danielle did not know about the state police award until her school resource officer, who had nominated her, pulled her aside in class and told her she had won.

“It was a complete surprise,” she said.