A Connecticut teenager is being commended after he reportedly pulled a mother and her three small children from a burning SUV.
This would seem to be an appropriate reason to get his name and picture published, so let's go ahead and do that. His name is Justin Gavin and here's his picture:
On September 9, the 18-year-old Gavin was walking down a street in Waterbury, Connecticut when a small SUV that was on fire drove past. The mother was driving and there were three young kids in the backseat.
According to a Facebook post, the local PD had gotten a number of calls about the vehicle that described a woman as being trapped inside. Gavin, who was walking to Walgreen's at the time, says a number of other motorists attempted to alert the woman by honking their horns and getting out of their cars to yell in her direction.
"I'm yelling stop the car! Your car is on fire! Your car is on fire!" Gavin said to CNN. The woman was reportedly unable to stop and the teen chased down the car to provide aid. "I just felt like if I was in that situation, I would want somebody to help me out. I guess my instincts took over," he added.
Eventually the vehicle did come to a stop, which helped the teen to catch up. He opened the driver's side door to help the mother out first, then proceeded to pull the kids—aged 9, 4 and 1—to safety.
Gavin says the car was engulfed in flames moments afterward. "It kind of got scary because I didn't know whether I was going to be able to get everyone out in time. And luckily, I did," he said.
Officials reported that the mother credits Justin Gavin with saving the lives of her and her kids.
As a result of his actions, the police department honored him as a hero. They also gave him a "challenge coin" which local reports deem "one of the city's highest honors."
"I hope that when you have that coin it just reminds you of this day and you can reflect back on all the good that came out of this for you and that family that you saved," Police Chief Fernando Spagnolo said to the teen.
