SOUTH BRUNSWICK — A standoff at a Route 1 motel with a man who threatened to take his own life if police didn't kill him came to a peaceful end on Monday afternoon.

A dozen police officers responded after the 39-year-old man with a history of mental illness barricaded himself and a dog inside a room at the Hotel Vincenza around 8:15 a.m., according to South Brunswick Police.

The man threw things against the wall and yelled as police negotiated with him.

South Brunswick police Chief Raymond Hayducka said officers were able to "de-escalate" the situation by bringing in friends and family to talk to him and officers assured the man they wanted a safe outcome. He developed a rapport with negotiators and talked about the issues and problems he is facing.

The man exited the room at 11:20 a.m. with the dog. Authorities did not identify the man, who was hospitalized.

"Here the officers realized time was on their side and worked to resolve the standoff by talking to him over a period of hours," Hayducka said. "After he realized no one was going to hurt him, he agreed to come out and get help. This is the outcome we look for in every interaction. It takes skill and training to create a peaceful resolution.”

It was the second recent police standoff that ended peacefully after police patiently waited out a suspect.

A 35-hour standoff with Tyleeb Reese ended peacefully in Trenton earlier in May after Reese fired shots at two U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force agents who had tried to arrest him on a warrant.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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