A homeless man is receiving praise and thanksgiving after risking his own safety to save the life of a 6-year-old child who ran into traffic.
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The scary situation unfolded recently in Green Bay, Wisconsin, when Faith Roberts, a mother of four kids with special needs, told WBAY-TV that the youngest of her children, Honeretta, who has Autism, took off running while the family was in the middle of moving from an apartment to a home.
“She elopes, and she thinks it’s funny,” Roberts said. “It becomes a game of chase. So it’s a kind of like a dog: If you run, they’ll chase you; if you chase her, she’ll run.”
The problem? The child ended up in the middle of a busy road, leaving the family deeply worried about her safety. Honeretta’s grandmother, Tynetta Johnson, started screaming for help.
And that’s when Weldon Tucker reportedly stepped in to save the day, running into the street and grabbing the child.
“He didn’t even think,” Roberts said. “Once he realized … he took off running after her, ran into traffic, just selflessly risked his life.”
The family is praising Tucker for his quick thinking, especially when others didn’t step in to assist. They later learned he is reportedly struggling with homelessness and has been getting assistance from a local shelter, WBAY-TV reported.
The hero has maintained his humility, though, even after accolades for such a kind and powerful act.
“I just do my best, and I hope, I hope in anybody’s situation like that somebody would do the same,” he told WBAY-TV. “I understand that. I’m so used to doing helpful things, when I hear they were, it’s hard to get the feedback, because I’m not used to it all the time.”
As it turns out, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich plans to honor Tucker during the city’s Common Council Meeting on August 19th, and has invited Roberts and her family as well.
Praise the Lord for Tucker’s decision to step in and help this child.
