Good Samaritan gets $1K reward for hopping on rolling school bus to save 18 kids

Good Samaritan gets $1K reward for hopping on rolling school bus to save 18 kids ’At the end of the day, youth are the most innocent humans on Earth, so anything you can do to save them, help them, it’s worth it,’ the Good Samaritan said - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Become an Independent member to bookmark this article Already a member? Log in A quick-thinking Minnesota man helped save 18 children after their school bus driver suffered a medical emergency while behind the wheel — prompting a local nonprofit to gift him a $1,000 check for his heroic actions. Ebro Ahmed, of St. Paul, was outside Bricks Snacks and Tobacco in Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood on Monday when he watched a Battle Creek Middle School bus roll past him with its doors wide open and lights flashing. “I saw a bus roll past me with the doors open, and I saw the bus driver seizing up,” Ahmed, who works at the convenience store near where the incident unfolded, told 5 Eyewitness News on Tuesday. Footage obtained by the news station shows Ahmed running and jumping onto the moving bus. “So I just ran out to the bus, I tried to put it in park, I threw it in reverse by accident, and then I ended up getting it in neutral, pulled the parking brake. And then I called the police and called the ambulances so they could help the driver,” Ahmed said. Ahmed said he counted 18 children on the school bus, none of whom were hurt. The bus driver, who works for St. Paul Public Schools in Minnesota, is also expected to be okay. “I then was monitoring the driver, making sure he wasn’t choking, making sure he didn’t hit his head on anything,” Ahmed said. Ahmed told CBS News that after stopping the bus, he looked behind him and “saw all of the kids kind of a little scared, crying with their phones out getting ready to call the police.” Ahmed, who has no medical experience, said he credits the popular medical show Grey’s Anatomy for inspiring his rapid response. “I like to give my credit to Grey’s Anatomy. I learned a lot,” he said, adding, “You know, my friends have been calling me ‘Superman’ the last 24 hours.” While he seemed to appreciate the recognition, he noted, “At the end of the day, youth are the most innocent humans on Earth, so anything you can do to save them, help them, it’s worth it.” St. Paul Public Schools said the medical emergency occurred on a bus route from Battle Creek Middle School and that paramedics responded to the scene. As of Wednesday, the bus driver was released from the hospital and is resting at home. The district said another school bus picked the students up and brought them home. Local business owner Sheletta Brundidge, who owns marketing and media company ShelettaMakesMeLaugh.com, gifted Ahmed $1,000 for his heroic actions. “He could have pulled out his phone and went live on Instagram. He could have run inside the store to call 911 while the bus kept rolling, but he didn’t,” Brundidge told 5 Eyewitness News. “His first instinct was to jump on and rescue the children and the driver. He saved them all. Not all heroes wear capes; some are store clerks.” When asked by CBS if he felt like a hero, Ahmed simply responded, “I feel like any person in my situation would have done the same thing.” Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments