Twins Arrested After Joint Suicide Attempt

Twin sisters risked lives of their neighbors by gas suicide attempt, say police

Twin sisters who tried to kill themselves by turning on the gas on a stove two weeks ago were arrested on charges of risking a catastrophe, say police.

The 55-year-old twins, Joanne Gladstone, of Upper Darby, and Janet McGinnis of Drexel Hill, turned on four gas burners in Gladstone’s kitchen in the three-story apartment building on the first block of Park Avenue in Upper Darby May 24, reports the Delaware County Times.

A passer-by smelled the gas and alerted the Highland Park Fire Company, says Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood.

“Had the gas exploded they could have blown up the whole building,” Chitwood told the Delaware County Times.

Police found the twin sisters lying on pillows on the kitchen floor with a note of apology and burial instructions, says Chitwood.

The women apologized to the responding officer and said that “they were just trying to kill themselves,” states the affidavit.

Gladstone and McGinnis were charged with causing or risking a catastrophe. The women were brought to Mercy Fitzgerald Hospital Crisis Unit for evaluation.

Their preliminary hearing will be held Wednesday.

 

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