GARDNER, Mass. — Harrison Barjolo, Jr. is a college student and a defensive back for Franklin Pierce College’s football team. But he wasn’t in class Thursday — he was in court, after a bizarre incident in Grafton Wednesday night.
Barjolo was undergoing a mental evaluation at Heywood Hospital, something deemed necessary because the 21-year-old was experiencing delusions and sleeplessness. An assistant coach brought him to the hospital — and then his parents came to see him.
As they discussed his future treatment with a nurse, Barjolo busted out of the hospital and hijacked an ambulance belonging to the Ashburnham Fire Department. This led to a rather lengthy police chase through Gardner and Hubbardston that involved several collisions with other vehicles. It ended when Barjolo returned the ambulance to the hospital.
Barjolo’s father, Harrison, Sr., said things began going downhill mentally for his son just after Thanksgiving — though he’d never had mental health issues before.
“My son left the Monday after Thanksgiving,” his father said. “He sent a text message that he loved me and everything was fine with him. Tuesday he called me when I was at work and said, ‘Daddy, do you remember how we’ve been talking about the second coming of Christ?’ And I said yes.”
At that point, Barjolo Jr. advised his father that HE was the second coming of Christ.
“I was shocked and said, ‘What did you mean by that,’” his Dad said.
Over the next few days, Barjolo’s mother and father both engaged in rather bizarre communications with their son — to the point that Dad was ready to head to Franklin Pierce to bring him home.
However, an assistant coach beat him to it — and that’s how he ended up at Heywood Hospital.
“I am very heartbroken,” said Harrison, Sr. outside of Grafton District Court. “Because this is something I never suspected would happen to my son.”
Barjolo’s father sat inside the lobby of the courthouse all day — until his son finally appeared before the judge close to 4:30 p.m. He comforted himself by reading Bible passages and praying for his son.
“It was very disturbing when I saw the news last night that he stole the ambulance,” Harrison Sr. said. “They tried to demonize my son. He’s a very good boy. He’s just having a mental breakdown. In his sound mind, he wouldn’t do that.”
Barjolo’s father also thanked Gardner Police for getting the situation under control without hurting his son.
“I pray he gets the help he needs so he can go back to a normal mind,” he said.
The judge, after hearing from a court psychologist, ordered Barjolo held at Bridgewater State Hospital for up to 20 days. The judge also imposed the Commonwealth’s desired bail of $25,000 cash — but said he would reconsider that amount, depending on how the mental health evaluations/treatments go at Bridgewater.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2023 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
