Orange County man's plea for help grabs Hollywood actor James Woods' attention

Woods works with law enforcement to help locate suicidal man

MAITLAND, Fla. – A tweet from an Orange County man has gone viral after his plea for help caught the ear of a famous Hollywood actor. 

Academy Award nominee James Woods is being credited for helping connect with a Maitland man named Andrew, who had tweeted about his suicidal thoughts.

"I'm going to kill myself tonight. I've lost everything, I have nobody, nobody cares," the tweet said.

The tweet attracted the attention of the Emmy winner, who chimed in and started a dialogue.

"Tell me where you are. We can talk - let's have a conversation. Just you and I," he said. 

Woods continued to engage with Andrew, and even reached out to Orlando police and Maitland police to help locate him. 

Andrew's Twitter account was deactivated overnight, but Maitland police told News 6 that officers have spoken to Andrew on the phone, and are still trying to locate him to double check on his well-being.

Andrew has told police he does not want to interact with them in person.

Yasmin Flasterstein is the program director for the Orlando United Counseling, part of the Mental Health Association of Central Florida. 

"People think of the holidays as a joyous time but the holidays are very stressful," she said. "A lot of times, when people see something on social media, they assume someone else will reach out. But a lot of people, it's that group think -- thinking someone else will do it. Be that person, reach out." 

[RELATED: How to get help for someone who might be suicidalWhat to expect when calling a suicide prevention hotline]

Flasterstein knows the holidays are their busiest season, and asks everyone to keep an eye on any warning signs from their loved ones. 

"The main warning sign in a loved one is drastic change," she said. "Drastic change in their mood, whether they're withdrawn, whether they're depressed, whether they're suddenly angry when they're not usually angry. They're not interested in hobbies they're usually interested in. Any dramatic change you can recognize in a loved one because you know them well is a good opportunity to say, 'Hey, how are you doing?' Not the polite way, but really, 'How are you doing?'" 

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 and is available 24/7. 


About the Author:

It has been an absolute pleasure for Clay LePard living and working in Orlando since he joined News 6 in July 2017. Previously, Clay worked at WNEP TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where he brought viewers along to witness everything from unprecedented access to the Tobyhanna Army Depot to an interview with convicted double-murderer Hugo Selenski.

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