AN NYPD cop struggling with suicidal thoughts in the wake of 9/11 said his life was saved by an ...angel... on Christmas Eve in a heartwarming story reminiscent of the classic movie, It's A Wonderful Life. On December 24, 2001, then 35-year-old Dean Simpson boarded a train to upstate New York with his late father's bible in one pocket and his old revolver in the other.
Courtesy Dean SimpsonDean Simpson was determined to end his life on December 24, 2001, but his plans were unwittingly derailed by a compassionate stranger '/ ' 
HandoutHis heartwarming story is reminiscent of the classic 1947 movie ...It's A Wonderful Life' '/ ' The police officer, who had been left partially disabled from a shooting in 1993, had fallen into a state of unrelenting depression and alcoholism after losing his father to cancer that June, and dozens of his colleagues in the World Trade Center attacks in September. Unable to bear the thought of spending Christmas alone, Simpson was determined to end his life before midnight. He boarded the train at Penn Station for Albany. From there, Simpson planned to take a taxi up to Black Mountain and kill himself in an isolated spot overlooking Lake George. But Simpson's plan would be unwittingly foiled by a friendly stranger in her 60s, who struck a cheerful conversation with him shortly after the train left the station. The woman, clutching a Gucci bag and wearing a red scarf, sat down beside Simpson and gave him a smile that the lost cop didn't return. The last thing Simpson wanted, as he recalls in his book, The Blue Pawn: A Memoir of an NYPD Foot Soldier, was to engage in a conversation with the woman. However, apparently undeterred by Simpson's attempts to shrug her off, the woman turned to him and asked ...Isn't it pretty?..., gesturing towards the snow-covered trees flashing past their window. Simpson didn't respond. But on and on the woman still mused, telling him how much she loved the holidays and how beautiful New York City looks at this time of year. THE COMPASSIONATE STRANGER Growing angrier with each passing remark, Simpson said he considered throwing himself out of the train window rather than endure the woman's jovial ramblings for the entirety of the two-and-a-half-hour journey ahead. The woman would again attempt to coax Simpson out of his silence, asking him what he liked most about the city. Simpson said the rudeness of his response shocked even him. "I love anonymity," he snapped back at the woman. "I love that in a city with over 8 million people, I can go for days without talking to a soul and not feel as though I missed out on a single thing. However, the thing I love most about New York City is being left alone." Most read in The US Sun FAMILY MATTER Shocked Meg & Harry fans all saying same thing about Archie's red hair MORE MONEY 'Surprise' $1,000 checks being sent out THIS MONTH after $3,000 boosts deposited ON HIS WAY! Santa tracker LIVE - Where is Father Christmas now & when will he visit me? MISSING LINK Inside China's 'HUMANZEE experiments to breed apemen to be sent into space' ALL SMILES Kim's daughter North shows off new BRACES before Kris' Christmas Eve bash RISKY BUSINESS Inside harsh lives of 'harassed' porn stars after series of mystery deaths Startled, the woman stared back at Simpson and was noticeably upset. Simpson said he was immediately overcome with feelings of guilt and shame for speaking to the woman the way he just had. He issued a hasty apology to the woman and, to his relief, she accepted it. She then introduced herself to him as Erin, a grandmother from Saratoga. Erin told Simpson about how she had lost her husband, a doctor, a few years earlier. She was once a doctor too, she told him, though gave up practicing when her children were born. A LENDED EAR Slowly, over the course of the journey, Erin prized out information from Simpson about his own life. With it having been so long since he had spoken with anyone about anything that mattered, Simpson said he periodically choked up as he talked with Erin, moved by her kindness. He told the stranger all about his childhood in Brooklyn, spent with his father James, an NYPD detective, and his brother, and how he lost his mother, an alcoholic, when he was just seven years old. He also recounted the 1993 incident that would leave him disabled. Simpson had been on patrol for Midtown's Third Division along 12th Avenue when he approached two hooded men who were acting suspiciously. One of the men pulled out a gun, and as Simpson lunged for the weapon it went off, shattering his knuckles and leaving him permanently injured. He also told the woman of his battle with alcoholism; how he awoke from a drunken slumber to find the Twin Towers had collapsed; how he attended the funerals of 23 fallen officers he called friends whose lives were claimed in attacks. Simpson said tears pooled in his eyes when the woman would occasionally touch his arm, in a compassionate bid to comfort him. Shortly before the train arrived in Albany, the woman excused herself. She returned a few moments later with a pink slip of paper that she handed to Simpson. "I don't know where you're headed," she told him, "but when you get there, read this." The pair shared a hug before Erin walked away. Simpson continued on with his plan, taking a taxi to Black Mountain, where he walked along the two-and-a-half-mile trail, reflecting on his life. At the summit, he took out his father's Bible from his pocket. A small scrap of paper flew out from it, on which his dad had marked his favorite passage: Corinthians 10:13. ...LIFE IS A GIFT' Simpson thought the note was strange. 10:13, he remembered, was police code for an officer in need of assistance. He read the passage and absorbed its messages of salvation, no longer feeling alone. Simpson then took out the pink slip of paper Erin had handed to him. On it, she had written: ...Dean. Life is a gift meant to be shared. Don't ever give up hope! Merry Christmas, Erin.... He stared down at the kind stranger's words and felt a shift within himself \- which, on reflection, he would deem to be a renewed sense of purpose. Simpson emptied the chamber of his father's gun and threw it off the mountain. He then headed back down the trail with Erin's words still ringing in his ears. She was right, he thought: he had been given a gift and it was time for him to share it. In the two years that followed, Simpson would give up alcohol and relocate to Delray Beach, Florida, where he threw himself into volunteer work to help traumatized veterans rebuild their lives. In 2010 he met the love of his life and married her four years later. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE Simpson hasn't crossed paths with Erin since, though he says he still thinks of her often and the kindness she showed him. He now keeps her note and his father's bible on his top dresser, reading them both from time to time. "Angels are around us," he writes in his book. ...People talk about acts of kindness. We may not realize how many of them are bestowed on us every day." Simpson's remarkable story bears a striking resemblance to the 1947 film, It's A Wonderful Life, which sees down-and-out businessman George Bailey contemplate suicide on Christmas Eve. As George is about to leap from a bridge, a guardian angel named Clarence confronts him and shows him what his hometown would look like if it hadn't been for all his good deeds over the years. Anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts should contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline for confidential support on 1-800-273-8255. 
Courtesy Dean SimpsonSimpson is pictured with his father who died from cancer in June 2001 '/ ' 
Courtesy Dean SimpsonA copy of Erin's note is shown above. Simpson never got her last name '/ ' 
Courtesy Dean SimpsonAfter coming back from the brink, Simpson turned his life around and married the love of his life in 2014 '/ ' We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The US Sun team? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS Source:
How suicidal 9/11 cop was saved by 'angel' on Christmas Eve in incredible story that echoes It's A Wonderful Life
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US Politics | How suicidal 9/11 cop was saved by ‘angel’ on Christmas Eve in incredible story that echoes It’s A Wonderful Life
AN NYPD cop struggling with suicidal thoughts in...
Two women, aged 18 and 31, were pronounced dead at the scene The driver of the Kia, a 32-year-old man, had been traveling southbound on Vineland when the car suddenly drove across the oncoming lane before colliding with the building on its left side, Florida Highway Patrol said. The Kia first hit two metal poles and then crashed into a support column in the parking lot Two women, ages 31 and 18, were pronounced dead at the scene. The driver and the two injured passengers were taken to Osceola Regional Medical Center for treatment. Their conditions and the extent of their injuries are not known at this time. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation. Charges against the driver of the car are pending, police said. The Sun has contacted the Florida Highway Patrol for more information. According to employee Tim Wrobble, this is not the first time a car has crashed into the hotel. Wrobble told WFTV that in the early 2000s three people were killed in a similar crash. Just a few years ago, a number of people were hurt when a car crashed into the hotel's pool, he said. Wrobble called on local officials to erect fencing or a wall around the hotel to prevent similar incidents in the future. In the meantime, he said his thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims. ...It's Christmas season and these poor families that have to experience this \- it's just heartbreaking.... More to follow... For the latest news on this story keep checking back at Sun Online. The-sun.com is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, sport news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheUSSun. Most read in News TOUCHING TRIBUTES Victim, 29, from Las Vegas dies in NFL star's tragic car crash accident JONBENET MYSTERY Slain child beauty queen's brother reveals why he thinks cops suspect mom 'BRILLIANT & BEAUTIFUL' Victim killed in NFL star's horror crash pictured as family mourn SHOPPERS' TERROR One victim injured in Target store shooting as cops clear scene outside CRACKING THE CASE How JonBenet Ramsey murder mystery could be 'solved in HOURS' MAULED TO DEATH Boogie boarder is killed by shark in horrific attack on Christmas Eve 
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden speak with the NORAD Tracks Santa Operations CenterAP:Associated Press Does Biden know about the 'Let's Go Brandon' meme? According to White House press secretary, Jen Psaki, in November, the president did not focus on the meme at all when it first went viral. "I don't think he spends much time focused on it or thinking about it," Psaki replied when asked by an NBC reporter about the viral phrase during a press briefing. 
Read our Santa tracker live blog for up the minute updates on where he is We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The US Sun team? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS 
ReutersPresident Joe Biden has faced fierce criticism from the public, media, and world leaders over his handling of Afghanistan '/ ' July 7, 2021: The president will travel to Crystal Lake, Illinois, seeking bipartisan support for a bill that will enhance child care and healthcare expenditures.July 6, 2021: Biden delivers remarks about the COVID-19 vaccination program during an event in the South Court Auditorium on the White House campus.July 1, 2021: Biden and wife Jill land in Miami to help with the Surfside condo collapse and console families.June 28, 2021: Biden is set to welcome the President of the State of Israel, Reuven Rivlin, to the White House.June 27, 2021: The Biden administration launched airstrikes on Iran-backed militants on the Syrian border.June 25, 2021: The president applauded VP Harris on doing a ...great job... on the Mexico border crisis despite her not visiting the region once since becoming ...border czar... in March.June 24, 2021: President Biden speaks to reporters at the White House about the deadly Miami building collapse that left more than 100 missing \- but not before being reminded to address the topic by VP Kamala Harris.June 23, 2021: Biden unveiled a crackdown on guns while announcing that states can use $350billion in Covid funding to hire more cops as crime across the US surges.June 17, 2021: President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. June 19 is now a federal holiday.June 16, 2021: Biden returns to the White House after his first overseas trip as president.June 16, 2021: President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Geneva.June 10, 2021: President Joe Biden meets with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the UK.June 9, 2021: The President and First Lady arrive in the United Kingdom as they embark on their first foreign trip.June 5, 2021: The president delivered remarks from Delaware on a report showing the economy picked up 559,000 jobs in May and that unemployment hit its lowest level since the pandemic began.June 3, 2021: Joe Biden was in Delaware on June 3, 2021, as he and First Lady Jill Biden celebrated her 70th birthday.June 2, 2021: Biden delivered remarks in Philadelphia on the civil unrest occurring across the nation following the death of George Floyd and condemned former President Trump for his response to protesters.June 1, 2021: President Biden and VP Harris were in Oklahoma to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa massacre \- when a white mob destroyed a vibrant Black business district and killed as many as 300 people.May 31, 2021: Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris commemorated fallen service members at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia.May 20, 2021: President Joe Biden signs the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act into law.May 6, 2021: Biden delivers remarks on the American Jobs Plan.April 20, 2021: Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris meet with the leadership of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.March 29, 2021: Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Covid-19 response and the state of vaccinations.March 6, 2021: Biden delivers remarks on the Senate passage of the American Rescue plan.February 23, 2021: Biden conducts a roundtable with Black essential workers, moderated by Domestic Policy Advisor Susan Rice.February 2, 2021: Biden signs executive orders advancing his priority to modern our immigration system.January 14, 2021: Biden will unveil his Covid economic, legislative and vaccination plan from Delaware.January 13, 2021: A GOP Senator called for President-elect Joe Biden to be impeached once he takes office on January 20. Republican President Donald Trump was impeached for the second time on January 13, the only president in US history to have been impeached twice.January 10, 2021: Biden that $600 stimulus checks are too little money and continued to push for $2,000 after President Donald Trump previously called for larger Covid aid.January 8, 2021: Biden spoke about his help package at an event in Wilmington, Delaware.December 24, 2021: Biden and the First Lady took part in the presidential tradition of Santa tracking with NORAD on Christmas Eve. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The US Sun team? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS 
TwitterThe protest was organized by the advocacy group Apple Together '/ ' 
APThe workers urged customers to boycott the company as they demanded better working condition '/ ' In a statement issued on Twitter, the group said: ...We are Apple. We deserve a respectful workplace. We deserve paid sick time. We deserve protection on the frontlines. We deserve proper mental healthcare. ...Demand that. Apple upholds its image with your wallet. Don't shop in stores. Don't shop online. #AppleWalkout.... The group, consisting of current and former Apple employees, is an extension of the #AppleToo movement, which was formed to collect stories from employees at all levels at Apple who claim they have experienced harassment or discrimination. Organizers of the walkout said that at least 50 workers across three states called out of work on Friday. "Apple workers are fed up with being unheard," Janneke Parrish, a former corporate Apple employee, told the Huffington Post, adding that the protest aims to "make sure people are aware of how retail workers are being treated." According to Parrish, Apple's retail workers have "extremely limited sick leave." Most read in The US Sun FAMILY MATTER Shocked Meg & Harry fans all saying same thing about Archie's red hair MORE MONEY 'Surprise' $1,000 checks being sent out THIS MONTH after $3,000 boosts deposited ON HIS WAY! Santa tracker LIVE - Where is Father Christmas now & when will he visit me? MISSING LINK Inside China's 'HUMANZEE experiments to breed apemen to be sent into space' ALL SMILES Kim's daughter North shows off new BRACES before Kris' Christmas Eve bash RISKY BUSINESS Inside harsh lives of 'harassed' porn stars after series of mystery deaths She said part-time workers accrue paid leave on an hourly basis, which means they must choose whether to go in while sick or go unpaid. According to the company's website, most Apple stores in the US are open until 6pm on Christmas Eve and are closed on Christmas Day. The advocacy group also informed potential employees who walk off that they can apply for strike funds via the nonprofit organization, Coworker Solidarity Fund. According to their website, the organization is accepting only waitlist applications for stipends of up to $5,000. AMAZON WALKOUT The Apple staffers are the latest employees to stage a walkout this week \- after dozens of Amazon workers in Illinois and New York City protested to demand better treatment and higher wages during the holiday rush. The pre-Christmas strike took place at two Amazon warehouse locations in Staten Island and Cicero, Illinois, on Wednesday. According to a statement from the activists, workers at four Staten Island facilities staged a "lunchtime walkout," slamming "unfair labor practices committed by Amazon," including illegal interference with union organizing. The activists stated that ...in light of the increasing severity of the Covid-19 pandemic and the Omicron variant, we are demanding the return of hazard pay and unlimited unpaid time off.... A video shared on Twitter by organizer Christian Smalls showed organizers distributing flyers promoting the walkout and gathering food to distribute to employees. In Illinois, two Amazon facilities near Chicago staged a pre-Christmas walkout during the busiest time of the year. 
PAEmployees at two Amazon warehouses in New York City staged a walkout on Wednesday '/ ' 
PADespite the frigid temperatures, Amazone workers rallied in Times Square on Wednesday '/ ' "We have been passed over for raises. We are being overworked, even when there is sufficient people to work here," a worker at the DLN2 facility in Cicero said in a live stream posted by the Amazonians United. "We have not received the bonuses we were promised. There are people here who were hired as permanent workers, and then they took their badges away and made them temporary workers. ...They are staffing this place unsafely, making people work too fast, even though we don't have to." Illinois workers, who work between 1:20 AM and 11:50 AM, are also demanding a $5 per hour raise. WAREHOUSE HORROR The protests from Amazon workers came after a tornado ripped through a warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, on December 10, leaving six factory employees dead and trapping 100 workers inside. The three women, all delivery drivers, arrived at the warehouse at 8pm on December 10 and were told to ...go straight to the bathroom,... according to a 911 call from inside the building obtained by Business Insider. In total, at least forty-five people escaped the building alive, and only seven of them worked for Amazon full time, Quartz reported. The deceased Amazon warehouse workers were later identified as \- Clayton Hope, 29, Deandre S. Morrow, 28, Kevin D. Dickey, 62, Etheria S. Hebb, 34, Larry E. Virden, 46, and Austin J. McEwen, 26. We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The US Sun team? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS 
TikTok/Ashley MoneyAshley Money documented the discovery on TikTok '/ ' Money has posted a series of videos about the so-far unidentified stain, with the initial clip racking up almost six million views in the last five days alone. Countless viewers voiced concern to Money, with many suggesting the liquid was blood and a body may be inside the unit or murder may have taken place inside the lot. In her second clip, Money reveals that she informed the front desk of the discovery and was immediately contacted by a worker at the unit. However, a day later, Money revisited the site and found the red liquid was still there. STRANGE RED LIQIUD In search of answers, Money adhered to the demands of her followers who instructed her to pour hydrogen peroxide over the fluid, as it often causes a bubbling effect when mixed with blood. ...Unfortunately, no bubbles,... Money said after pouring it on. In a later video, she clarified her remarks saying she used the term ...unfortunately... because she thought she was disappointing her viewers, rather than hoping the liquid was something macabre. She also said in a subsequent video that upon returning to the liquid on another day, she saw what appeared to be small bubbles. In her latest update, Money said she'd been receiving a ...lot of heat... from fellow TikTokers who blasted for apparently not immediately calling the police. ...At what point are you going to call the authorities?... one user quizzed. In response, Money explained that she had in fact called the police soon after uploading her first few videos. However, she was unable to clarify that she'd had done so as her videos had been reported so many times on TikTok that she was temporarily banned from posting on the app. MOUNTING THEORIES Authorities reportedly told her they would return her call shortly, but took ...six and a half hours... to do so. ...And then they laughed at me because it didn't sound like an emergency,... she claimed. According to Money, police eventually contacted the storage unit owners and made them open it up. ...It ended up being something they were not allowed to be storing, and yes it did leak into mine but she did reassure me that it wasn't a corpse,... she said. Money said she's unsure what the item was, but some of her followers suggest it may have been a deer or another animal that had recently been hunted but incorrectly stored. Other viewers jokingly referenced the hit Netflix thriller show You, suggesting the show's flawed-protagonist Joe Goldberg may have been murdering people in the local area. "Joe Goldberg would never let that happen," one viewer said of the spill. 
TikTok/Ashley MoneyMoney said she was criticized by viewers '/ ' 
TikTok/Ashley MoneyPolice investigated the substance '/ ' We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The US Sun team? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS 
APIt's been claimed by some that the game normalizes surveillance by government '/ ' The phenomenom is based on a 2004 book by Carol Aebersold and Chanda Bell and has become immensely popular across the US and Europe over the last few years. However, apparently not seeing the fun side of the game, Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), suggested to the New York Times that the elves should be shelved for good, fearing the game sends a bad message to the millions of children who partake in it. ...I know a lot of families just see this as a fun thing, but it's worth thinking about the messages it's giving to children about surveillance by authorities,... Stanley said. ...It's really a terrible message for kids,... he continued. ...Personally, I consider success as a parent to be teaching my kids to do the right thing even when nobody is watching, whether they be from the North Pole or anywhere else." Incredibly, Stanley isn't alone in his beliefs, with security experts agreeing that the premise of the game sends the wrong message to kids. ...I don't want to sound like a Grinch, but we shouldn't be celebrating seasonal surveillance," Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, also told the outlet. BAH-HUMBUG Caitriona Fitzgerald, deputy director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, similarly espoused that children may be getting the wrong idea. According to Fitzgerald, children must be told that ...no one should be looking at you in your bedroom without consent." He said: "I don't want to be the first one to take Santa Claus to court for invasion of privacy, but consent matters, and having privacy matters. ...If kids think they are always being watched, even when the watcher is a magical elf, that can have real effects on how they see themselves in the world.... Some psychologists have also charged that Elf on a Shelf encourages lying to children, raises questions about the trustworthiness of parents, and discourages children from thinking critically. All such claims have been vehemently denied by the Lumistella Company, which owns Elf on a Shelf, who say the toy is nothing other than wholesome. CREATORS HIT BACK "Santa's Scout Elves don't just help to keep up with the Nice List; they also share with Santa how families are spreading the spirit of Christmas," the company said in a statement. "Many children note that their favorite moments throughout each season include waking up to see where the family's Scout Elf has landed and the humorous scenes they sometimes set up. ...Our hope is that the Elf on the Shelf will create cheerful holiday moments and precious family memories that will last a lifetime." Critics have also hit back at the calls to cancel the game, blasting the experts for being overdramatic. "Oh, give me a break. Will we not stop this stuff until every single ounce of joy & wonder is completely extinguished?" one critic bemoaned. "Omg. Let's create a paranoid, neurotic generation scared of everything. Of the top million things to worry about I'd put this about negative nine hundred ninety-nine thousand,... a second said. A third, referencing all the technologies families already have in their homes that can listen to them, jesting: ...Alexa, does Elf on the shelf teach my children to passively accept being watched by an unseen authority figure. 
Not known, clear with picture deskAs the festive pastime goes, children are told the elf has been sent from the North Pole to their home to watch them and report their good and bad behavior back to Santa Claus '/ ' We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The US Sun team? Email us at exclusive@the-sun.com or call 212 416 4552. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSunUS and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunUS 