How a Florida Driver is Alive Because of These Two Black 13-Year-Old Boys

A Florida driver lost control of his pickup truck and swerved into a canal last week. However, by the time sheriff’s deputies arrived to the scene of the crash, they found the driver had already been rescued.

Friends Tony Cooper and Elijah Hodge, both 13 years old, were eating at a restaurant in Broward County off McNab Road when they saw a Toyota truck crash into a nearby water embankment. A witness told WSVN she heard the crash and turned around the see the pickup truck sinking into the water.

However, she said she saw two kids running over to the vehicle. Tony and Elijah told the outlet they immediately jumped out of their seats and sprinted across the Dollar Tree parking lot toward the vehicle.

“We rushed and took off our shoes and stuff. We literally jumped on the hood and then we took off the seat belt and then we pulled them out. I started screaming at him because he was heavy while he was in the car. We [were] screaming, he woke up, we helped him get out of the car and after that, he was on the hood and then we pulled him onto the grass,” Tony told WSVN.

Officials from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office said by the time emergency responders got to the scene they found the driver “managed to get out of the vehicle and swim onto the embankment.”

That was thanks to Tony and Elijah.

The driver was evaluated by the paramedics and released, authorities said. The report says he told to the EMTs a young person reached for his hand to help him escape the sinking vehicle.

Once their WSVN interview aired, one viewer connected with the two to give them each a $250 check. North Lauderdale Mayor Samson Borgelin commended the two young teens for their courage.

“I am incredibly proud of these young citizens and their heroic efforts. I will be reaching out to them and their families to formally recognize their bravery,” he said in a statement.

The two will be recognized at this month’s commission meeting, the report says. Authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the car crash.