Cops stop jilted man from suicide jump

MANILA, Philippines - An online English teacher held a pillow as he tried to jump from the window of a 16th-floor condominium unit he shares with his partner in Quezon City yesterday.

Joseph Fedelin, 44, poured muriatic acid on his partner of five years, call center agent Jefferson Quitaleg, 32, after they had sex, which Quitaleg said would be their last because he wanted to end their relationship.

Fedelin slit his wrist, then clutched the pillow as he sat on the windowsill of their unit at the Victoria Towers Condominium at around 9 a.m., preparing to jump. He was clad only in underwear at the time.

While negotiators were trying to convince Fedelin to calm down, the man continued to hold his bleeding wrist and hug the pillow for nearly two hours, until some rescuers rappelled down from the 18th floor and kicked him back into the unit. The standoff ended at past noon.

Senior Police Officer 1 John Sales said the couple had been fighting since Sunday night because of Quitaleg’s alleged affair with another man. Fedelin reportedly found out about the affair last year, which his partner repeatedly denied.

The teacher said he recently discovered that the two had been communicating through a social networking site.

As rescuers from the police and the Bureau of Fire Protection talked to Fedelin, their colleagues managed to get Quitaleg out of the couple’s unit and place cushions on the ground just in case Fedelin jumped.

Rescuers rappel down the Victoria Towers Condominium building to save Joseph Fedelin from jumping from the window of his 16th-floor unit yesterday. BOY SANTOS

When Fedelin was brought down, the jilted man said: “Kaya kayo’ng mga lalaki, maging tapat kayo sa aming mga bading na lover (You men, be faithful to your gay lovers).” He even said he was ready to go to jail for what he did.

Both men were brought to the nearby Capitol Medical Center for treatment. Fedelin was brought to the Quezon City Police District Station 10 in Kamuning after treatment.