Motorists faced major delays when the police shut the Tunnel and Pier Road after being called out to help a 41-year-old man shortly after 5.30am.
A total of 12 police officers – including a specialist negotiator – and several honoraries were sent to the scene as traffic backed up through town and into parts of St Saviour and St Clement.
The man was later taken to safety and the roads were reopened shortly after 8am.
While many online commentators said they hoped the man would get the help he needed, others speculated that he would be jailed. Others, meanwhile, moaned that as Pier Road had been closed, they now had nowhere to park.
In a series of tweets, PC Iain Ford, who uses the Twitter handle @CopontheRock, said: ‘Anyone living in Jersey no doubt heard about the incident by the tunnel this morning.
‘To say the least the comments on social media have been awful. Lack of diplomacy and ill informed accounts about what happened and how the individual was treated.
‘After the officers at the scene had taken great care of the gent, he was taken to get the help that he deserves and needs. I popped down to sit with him as I knew him from a previous job. He is a person like anyone else but he needed support.
‘Contrary to social media comments, he hasn’t been “thrown in the cells” or “banged up in a nut house”. It’s these kind of comments that stop people asking for help.
‘I bought him a pack a fags to calm him down. It’s not my job, but empathy and compassion are.’
