HAMPSTEAD, NH — Two juvenile patients were taken into custody after climbing onto the roof of Hampstead Hospital on April 7.
Hampstead Police Department responded to the hospital on East Road at approximately 3:21 p.m. for a report of two juvenile patients on the roof.
The facility is built on a hill with the rooftop all one level, with some sections one story high from the ground and another section three stories high.
The roof consists of approximately 54,000 square feet of surface area and the height posed a significant danger to both patients.
Police believe the patients made it onto the roof by climbing a section of tall fence that is rated as “no climb fence” and has additional anti-climbing components at the top.
Upon arrival, officers established a perimeter of the building and additional agencies responded, including New Hampshire State Police and Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department.
Several attempts were made to reason with both juveniles but were not successful.
The Rockingham County Sheriff’s Department deployed a drone that provided information on the patients’ exact location on the rooftop.
The situation escalated when the patients found a sharp cutting object on the roof and began harming themselves.
Four officers deployed onto the roof and were able to safely take both patients into custody.
The patients sustained minor self-inflicted injuries.
Hampstead Fire Department used their ladder truck to safely get both juveniles off the roof and back into the custody of hospital staff.
