An Allegheny County employee has been placed on administrative leave following a social media post directed toward a Pittsburgh radio personality.<\/p>\n
On Friday, Communications Director Abigail Gardner posted a video on her personal Instagram page reacting to a local radio host\u2019s comments about the bad air quality caused by the Canadian wildfires.<\/p>\n
Gardner posted her video, saying, \u201cYou should go outside and smoke a pack, on a bridge, and then jump.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the video Gardner posted, she was wearing an Allegheny County Emergency Services shirt with the county seal on it. <\/p>\n
On Monday, Gardner released a statement regarding her post:<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a tasteless comment out of frustration, and I apologize for my lapse in judgement. Suicide should not be a topic that is joked about or used to insult others. My comments were out of line, and I especially apologize to the employees of Allegheny County that I did not hold myself to a higher standard while representing the County.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to the incident, the county said Gardner has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an internal investigation. <\/p>\n
The county added, \u201cAllegheny County is committed to providing immediate resources to anyone in crisis. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, or experiencing a mental health crisis, call or text 988 at any time or chat with a trained counselor at 988lifeline.org<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Additional mental health resources are available on the county\u2019s website here.<\/a> <\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n