Teen tries to commit suicide at Youth Study Center

A 19-year-old resident who was supposed to be under suicide watch at the Youth Study Center in East Falls tried to kill himself on Wednesday when he was left unsupervised, officials said.
"We did have a minor incident," said Alicia Taylor, spokeswoman for the Department of Human Services, which runs the center, at Henry Avenue and Roberts Avenue.
About 11 a.m., the teen "was left alone for a short period of time, and did try to inflict harm on himself," Taylor said.
The teen apparently tried to hang himself with a bed sheet that he had tied to a sprinkler.
His suicide attempt was foiled when the sprinkler gave way, causing a minor flood, Taylor said.
The youth was taken to an area hospital for minor injuries.
"We're very grateful this wasn't a more serious event," Taylor said.
"We're currently doing an internal investigation to determine what happened."
Lorenzo North, the president of the Prison Guards Union Local 159, which represents guards at the Youth Study Center, said yesterday that he was aware of the attempted suicide, but couldn't comment further.