Tag: hero news

FlyDubai flight to Israel makes emergency landing, passenger says “co-pilot tried to murder the pilot” and crash jet

Posted on by Leave a comment

A FlyDubai flight from Dubai to Israel was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent attempt by one of the pilots to seize control of the aircraft and crash it, passengers and Israeli officials said.  “As they were approaching Israel, one of the pilots stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the plane with everyone on board,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video statement, lauding passengers and other crew members who intervened.

The prime minister said he instructed Israel’s “security establishment to prepare for potential additional threats.” An Israeli security official told CBS News authorities were investigating the possibility that the incident could have been an attempted Sept. 11-style terror attack, and whether the attacker was working alone.  Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called it “an attempted jihadist terror attack, which was thwarted only thanks to the heroism of several Israeli passengers who broke into the cockpit, overpowered the terrorist, and with their own hands returned control of the aircraft to an additional flight crew that was present,” according to a statement.

However, in an interview with CBS News later Wednesday, Netanyahu indicated that the co-pilot’s motive was still unknown.  “This guy was trying to jam the equipment between the two flight seats, the pilot seats,” Netanyahu said, referencing witness accounts. “He wasn’t sitting in the pilot seat trying to stabilize the plane, he was trying to jam the equipment.” The plane diverted to make an emergency landing in Tabuk, where there is a civilian airport adjacent to a Saudi military base. No passengers were injured in the incident, but the pilot who was attacked by his fellow crew member reportedly sustained stab wounds, and Saudi authorities said two crew members were hospitalized with unspecified injuries. 

Passenger Asaf Rajuan has been credited with fighting off the attacker in the cockpit before two off-duty pilots took control of the plane. “Whoever is hearing me, we need help,” Rajuan said in a video posted to social media from the plane after the co-pilot had been subdued. “We are in the Tabuk area of Saudi Arabia, which we don’t know. All the passengers are OK, but not the pilot. We need help.” According to Netanyahu, the pilot who carried out the stabbing was placed under arrest and was “being questioned by the Saudi authorities.” An Omani official confirmed to CBS News that the attacker was born in Oman and currently holds Omani citizenship. In a social media post, the Israel Foreign Ministry identified the wounded pilot as Capt. Smit Machchhar, an Indian national.

It described him as a “hero” who “fought back after being stabbed in the cockpit.” According to the foreign ministry, Machchhar unlocked the cockpit door to allow passengers and crew to enter and intervene.  “Together, their extraordinary courage saved 174 lives,” the foreign ministry said.  The plane landed in Tel Aviv shortly before 8 p.m. local time on Wednesday. People could be heard singing and chanting as the passengers disembarked. Family members came to the airport to celebrate their loved ones’ safe return.  One passenger said the plane dropped “very, very sharply suddenly” multiple times before balancing out. Passenger Miryam Shira Ohayon said the plane was “pretty much out of control” when the stabbing took place over Jordan.

“The co-pilot tried to murder the pilot and basically carry out a suicide attack on the plane,” she told reporters by speakerphone held up by her mother, who was waiting at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. “It was really on the way to crashing, and it was simply the resourcefulness of many people who took control of the co-pilot and neutralized him.”  “There was also a doctor who gave first aid, and people who treated both of them. Other than the pilot, there were no injuries, but the bigger fear was really a crash, which is exactly what he was trying to do,” Ohayon said. Another passenger told The Jerusalem Post that intervening passengers shouted at two off-duty pilots at the back of the plane “to run and take control” of it, and one of them did so after the passengers managed to remove the attacker from the cockpit.

One passenger seated at the front of the plane said a “group of young people fought” with the attacker.    The crew of FlyDubai flight 1073, a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, transmitted an emergency alert shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, according to publicly available flight tracking information. CBS News’ British partner network BBC News said flight tracking data showed the aircraft plummeted more than 17,000 feet in two minutes around 8:21 a.m. local time. The Israeli Air Force was first to notice something was wrong, an Israeli official with direct knowledge of the situation told CBS News. The air force noticed the flight deviating from its flight path and descending at an alarming rate, the official said.

When it tried to contact the plane, it received no response. It then got the emergency alert that specified a hijacking, not just a distress call. At that point, according to the official, the flight was still several hundred miles from Israeli airspace. However, even 90 seconds or so into the incident, the air force feared a 9/11-style attack, so it immediately made the decision to close Israeli airspace, and seconds after that it scrambled several jets, the official said. The jets never left Israeli airspace because it became clear that the plane had turned toward Saudi Arabia, and that Saudi Arabia had scrambled its own jets, the official said.  This sequence of events occurred within the span of about two to three minutes, according to the official, and the entire episode lasted about 15 minutes. 

A statement from FlyDubai said only that “an altercation occurred in the flight deck” and that the aircraft “was successfully secured by on-duty FlyDubai crew traveling on the flight, who diverted and landed the aircraft safely” in Saudi Arabia.  The airline said “all passengers and crew are safe and accounted for,” and it confirmed that two replacement aircraft had been deployed to Tabuk to “relieve the passengers and crew,” though many Israeli passengers told media outlets they would not reboard a FlyDubai plane.  “At this early stage, the underlying reasons and motives behind this event are unknown and remain subject to a formal investigation,” the airline said in its statement, urging “all parties to refrain from premature speculation while authorities gather the facts.”

Two U.S. officials told CBS News that there were four people with dual U.S.-Israeli citizenship aboard the flight.  Netanyahu had warned in recent days of unspecified, escalating security threats to Israel and its interests amid its ongoing operations against Iran-allied Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon.   FlyDubai is the lower-cost sister carrier of the United Arab Emirates state-owned flagship carrier Emirates. The UAE has become a popular vacation destination for Israeli tourists since the two nations normalized ties in 2020. Israel has not experienced a plane hijacking in decades, but it maintains some of the strictest airport security in the world.  Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in a social media post on Wednesday, said “the naive notion that our enemies value life and that we should have mercy on them received another reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist who planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board.”

Israeli politician Benny Gantz, who is running in the upcoming Israeli elections but polling badly, wrote on X: “It’s still too early to know what the sequence of events was in this morning’s Flydubai flight to Israel, but it’s already clear that Israelis are a rare breed.” “The resourcefulness and courage displayed by the passengers on this flight, in the face of clear mortal danger, are exactly the stuff our people are made of,” he said. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also posted about the incident Wednesday, saying: “Well this had everyone in the Middle East (esp Israel) on FULL ALERT this morning.”   “Glad it wasn’t more serious,” he added, “but having pilots inflight detouring to ‘fist city’ not your ordinary experience.”

Source: FlyDubai flight to Israel makes emergency landing, passenger says “co-pilot tried to murder the pilot” and crash jet – CBS News

Without counsel, plans go awry, But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
Proverbs 15:22

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Firefighters disassemble car dashboard to rescue trapped cat in Thurston County

Posted on by Leave a comment
FDNY Engine 34 fire truck driving through Midtown Manhattan

Cat owners know their feline friends often hide in small, cramped, and unusual spots — but one kitten’s hiding place recently required a fire crew to take part of a car apart. Southeast Thurston County Fire announced on social media this week that a kitten got stuck underneath the dashboard of a vehicle.

To free the trapped cat, firefighters had to disassemble the dashboard. “After some careful disassembly, a little patience, and a bit of firefighter ingenuity, crews were able to safely free the kitten and reunite it with its owner,” the post said. “We’re happy to report this rescue ended with one very small patient safely out of a very complicated hiding spot.”

Source: Firefighters disassemble car dashboard to rescue trapped cat in Thurston County

Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.
1 John 5:21

Powerful earthquake shakes Panama

A major earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 has struck Panama, according to the US Geological Survey. Local media are reporting structural damage in some parts of the…

Keep reading

Plague in Russia?

Russian authorities have sought to allay global worries over the death of a young woman who worked at a Siberian anti-plague laboratory. But moves to isolate her contacts and…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Off-duty North Texas firefighter saves 3 children trapped under boat on Fourth of July

Posted on by Leave a comment
expansive ocean view underneath clear blue sky

When a firefighter saves someone’s life, they call it “making a grab.” On the Fourth of July, Midlothian firefighter Jason Horne made three of them by rescuing three children trapped under a capsized boat at Alvarado Park Lake. “This is my grab for my career,” Horne said Monday in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. Horne was off-duty on the holiday, spending time with his 12-year-old daughter in their own boat on the lake when they saw another boat and a jet ski floating in the distance and waving them down, Horne said.

Near the waving group was a capsized boat Horne said he didn’t see at first. Horne stopped, told to his daughter to stay in their boat, then dove into the water. He swam to the capsized pontoon boat and realized what had happened. “The people were all yelling, ‘Our babies are under there,'” he said. “So, I went around to the side of the boat, dove underneath the boat.” Horne, who has been a paramedic and firefighter for over 20 years, said he reached up from under the boat and felt a life jacket that a little boy was wearing. He pulled the boy out. “He was a little lethargic, but he was awake and he was breathing,” Horne said.

The second rescue was a little girl. She also was wearing a life jacket, but she wasn’t breathing, Horne said. He pulled her on top of the overturned pontoon boat and started doing chest compressions until he could get her to breathe on her own. At that point someone told Horne another child was still under the boat, so he went back into the water, he said. “I dove back under and I couldn’t find them,” he said. Other boaters came and attempted to flip the capsized pontoon, and the third child emerged, he said. “He had a bunch of ropes and stuff wrapped around him,” Horne said. “We were able to get him up on the front of that pontoon boat. I did CPR on that little boy up there on the pontoon boat for a few minutes while we were headed back to the boat ramp.”

He was able to resuscitate the that boy, Horne said. Horne’s daughter called 911 while her father dove in and out of the water. When Horne and the victims arrived on the shore, he said first responders were waiting for them. All the children in the water had been wearing life jackets, Horne said. During the rescue, he said the victim’s family looked terrified. Horne said he remained focused. “The only thing going through my mind: Don’t die, and find these kids as fast as you can and get them out of the water,” he said. All three children were taken to a local hospital for evaluation and observation, Alvarado Fire Chief John Rodgers said in a news release. No life-threatening injuries have been reported.

The family later thanked him for the rescue, Horne said. Horne, who has worked at the Midlothian Fire Department for 10 years, said he’s grateful he happened to be at the lake and prevent a family from losing their children.  “I wasn’t trying to be a hero,” Horne said. “I wasn’t trying to do anything except help those people, and it worked out in our favor. The stars lined up. I was at the right place at the right time, and I was able to make a difference.”

Source: Off-duty North Texas firefighter saves 3 children trapped under boat on Fourth of July

As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.
Ecclesiastes 11:5

For God so Loved the World

“God loved you enough to send His Son, Jesus loved you enough to give His life, and through faith, you are offered a hope this world can never…

Keep reading

2 Timothy 3:12 

Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted Paul was reminding Timothy that following Christ does not guarantee an easy life. When we…

Keep reading

John 15:18–20

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own;…

Keep reading

Galatians 1:6-10

“When truth becomes negotiable, faith becomes vulnerable so know the Gospel, stand on God’s Word, and seek His approval above the world’s applause.” “I am astonished that you…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Hero Husky Saves Boy from Possible Bear Attack by Charging Wild Animal

Posted on by Leave a comment
Child crouching behind a protective husky dog on a forest trail with a bear in the background

Hero Husky Saves Boy from Possible Bear Attack by Charging Wild Animal Getty ALANA MASTRANGELO8 Jul 202627 A Husky is being hailed as a hero after saving a 6-year-old boy from a possible bear attack in Torrington, Connecticut. Video footage shows the boy standing in his driveway when a bear suddenly comes within a few feet of him — at which point the family dog, Bella, charges the wild animal and chases it off. The husky can also be seen biting the bear as the dog forces it away from the child and their home. “She always puts herself in between strangers and the kids, but you always wonder in the back of your head, ‘What’s going to happen if she needs to protect us?’ And now we know,” the boy’s father, Jeff Tazzara, told News 8 of the family dog.

Tazzara added that he plans to reward Bella with one of her favorite treats — a T-bone steak. Jason Hawley, a wildlife biologist with the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, told the outlet that the husky rescuing the boy was the best-case scenario, and urged people not to assume that such encounters with wildlife will necessarily end in the same manner. “In that situation, the dog worked out perfectly,” Hawley said. “It kind of made it an uncomfortable situation for the bear.” “Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that well, so we usually advise people to try to keep their dogs somewhat contained or keep an eye on them,” the wildlife biologist added.

The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has also asked the public to report any bear sightings so that officials can use the location information for research and bear management. The National Park Service advised those who come in contact with a bear to stay calm and immediately pick up any children who may be nearby without creating “loud noises or screams.” People who encounter a bear should then “slowly wave” their arm above their head and instruct the bear to back off, the agency — which also recommended that those exploring a wooded or remote area carry bear spray — added.

Source: WATCH: Hero Husky Saves Boy from Possible Bear Attack by Charging Wild Animal

For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
Acts 17:28

Isaiah 45:2

“I will go before you and level the exalted places, I will break in pieces the doors of bronze and cut through the bars of iron, This verse reminds us that God…

Keep reading

Proverbs 21:23

Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble. This verse emphasizes that people who carefully watch what they say will protect themselves from serious trouble. “Guarding your mouth…

Keep reading

Slow to Speak: The Secret to Wise Reactions

Talk less, listen more, because wisdom speaks after it understands, not before. If you want stronger relationships and real influence, master this: control your tongue, calm your anger, and lead with quiet…

Keep reading

Psalm 5:8

Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness because of my enemies; make your way straight before me. In the verse David is praying in the morning while people who hate him are…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Teenage boy springs into action, saving Sherman Oaks home and neighbors from fire

Posted on by Leave a comment
Teenager walking on a sidewalk in a suburban neighborhood during autumn

A Sherman Oaks neighborhood is thanking their unexpected hero after a 13-year-old boy sprang into action when he noticed a fire in the middle of the night, saving them from a possible tragedy.  Myron Tkechenko was sleeping on the couch in the living room of his family’s home, in the midst of a sleepover, at around 3 a.m. on Saturday, when he noticed something was wrong.  Surveillance camera footage from a neighbor’s house shows what was likely the simultaneous moments that a fire broke out in the bushes outside of their Hesby Street home, as a person pushing a shopping cart stopped for a few minutes.

“I heard, like, crackling and something, like, burning,” Tkechenko said. “I was trying to think of the best thing to do, so I thought getting everyone out of the house was the priority.” He woke his family up and got everyone to safety within minutes. The security camera video shows the unidentified person looking at the fire before walking away. A short time later, Tkechenko’s family is seen rushing from the home and moving their cars out of the fire’s path.  Then, Tkechenko and his father are seen fighting the fire on their own, stopping it just feet from their house and several of their neighbors’.  “I was filling up the pots, and he was taking them and just making sure the fire wouldn’t spread to our house,” Tkechenko said. 

Neighbors, all very grateful for the teen’s quick thinking, say that the incident highlights a bigger issue that the community is facing, including recent incidents of vandalism and other crimes they believe are tied to homelessness.  “I was horrified, because should that young man not have been awakened and called 911 when he did to get the fire department here, who knows what would have happened,” said Penny Johnson. Johnson is the neighborhood watch captain on their street, and as such, her house is fitted with 16 security cameras, including the one that captured the moments the person appeared to set the fire. 

“Almost everybody on the block has kids, and they’re scared, and that’s not right,” Johnson said. “I just want the city council and the mayor to work together to get this problem solved.” As for Tkechenko and his family, they’re feeling grateful that he was in the right place at the right time, but still on edge considering the way the blaze broke out.  “I’m pretty sad, honestly. I don’t really know how he did it,” Tkechenko said. “I feel like I’m really lucky that I woke up. I feel like my family’s lucky, and the neighborhood is.” Neighbors say that they’re gathering additional security video from the area in hopes of identifying the person seen in the video. 

Source: Teenage boy springs into action, saving Sherman Oaks home and neighbors from fire – CBS Los Angeles

A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men.
Proverbs 18:16

3 bear cubs break into man’s San Bernardino County mountain cabin

A man had a close encounter with a trio of bears that broke into his cabin in the San Bernardino County mountains. After hearing his little, old hard-of-hearing dogs barking, Thomas Vander Wende woke up and went outside his cabin at Green Valley Lake. That’s when he came face-to-face with a bear cub crawling down…

Keep reading

Finding Strength in God’s Presence Amidst Chaos

When taking the next step you are never alone.  Bible Verse:And the Lord who is your leader, he himself will be with thee: he will not leave thee, nor forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8 When you are surrounded by all of the chaos, the noise and you never seem like you…

Keep reading

Police in Algeria Arrest 12 Christians during Worship

Special force police in Algeria raided a worship service at a humanitarian shelter on Sept. 4, arresting all 12 Christians present on suspicion of holding an unauthorized, non-Muslim religious service, sources said. The House of Refuge shelter in L’Ayaida, 36 kilometers (22 miles) east of Oran, serves as a haven and restoration center for vulnerable…

Keep reading

Mother injured after fighting off coyote that attacked 4-year-old daughter

An Arizona mother is recovering after she was attacked by a coyote that initially went after her 4-year-old daughter, reports AZFamily. Brittany Cardinal of Surprise, Arizona, was left with puncture wounds and lacerations on her face after the attack Sunday afternoon. She told the outlet that, before the attack, she and her daughter were outside…

Keep reading

Muslim Shoots Christian Woman to Death in Pakistan

A married, 21-year-old Christian woman was shot dead inside her home in Rawalpindi last week by a Muslim neighbor whose advances she had rejected, reflecting an attitude among many Pakistan Muslims that crimes against Christians will go unpunished, sources said. Saba Mehboob, who separated from her husband a year ago, was shot in the forehead…

Keep reading

Christian Teen Beaten for Protecting Women in Pakistan

A 17-year-old Christian man named Ikhlaq Masih was severely beaten by a mob in Nasrat Colony, a town in Ajnianwala, Sheikhupura, Pakistan, where many Christians reside.  Masih works making pizzas at a restaurant, while his father, Saleem, works at a brick kiln and his mother, Zakriya, is a homemaker. The modest family has limited financial resources…

Keep reading

Embrace Faith: God’s Help in Life’s Challenges

You don’t have to carry this alone, He is your safe place and your help in every moment of need.  Bible Verse:God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 God is your refuge when everything feels unstable. When your body is tired…

Keep reading

Embracing Grace: Overcoming Past Mistakes

You may feel like your past disqualifies you, but God specializes in rewriting broken stories. No failure is stronger than His mercy, and no sin is beyond His reach. “Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,  and the grace of our…

Keep reading

Understanding Bible Prophecy: God’s Sovereign Timeline

The God who created time is not controlled by time, He rules over it. Every prophecy fulfilled is proof that history is not random, but written by the hand of a sovereign God. Grandpa’s Wisdom The room was quiet except for the ticking of an old clock on the wall. There was a young man…

Keep reading

25 dead after cargo ship fire in Chinese port

A cargo ship docked for repairs in a Chinese port caught fire, killing 25 people, Chinese state media reported Thursday. The ship was being repaired in the Beihai Shipbuilding Co. at the port of Qingdao, a major shipping hub on the northeastern Chinese coast. A photo released by Xinhua news agency identified the ship as…

Keep reading

Record-setting cyclospora outbreak is over, U.S. health officials declare

The cyclospora food poisoning outbreak linked to recalled iceberg lettuce is over, U.S. health officials said Friday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is no longer a risk of people getting sick with cyclosporiasis from this outbreak and is confident that all related iceberg lettuce is off the market. The U.S. Food and…

Keep reading

Field of Flags marks 25 years since 9/11 at Kennesaw Mountain

At the foot of Kennesaw Mountain, 2,977 American flags now stand as a reminder that every person killed in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks had a life and a story. People of all ages joined first responders and community groups to plant the flags at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Each flag represents one person…

Keep reading

Teen survives for days clinging to capsized boat off Alaska

A 15-year-old boy survived on top of an overturned skiff in Alaska’s frigid Bering Sea for roughly two days, losing his older brother and then his cousin to the ocean after the boat capsized while they were out fishing. The teen, identified by a relative as Derek Parker Aghnaanga, was finally hoisted to safety Monday…

Keep reading

Transforming Struggles into Strength: A Spiritual Guide

The pain of discipline may sting today, but we are reminded that endurance turns today’s struggle into tomorrow’s strength, producing a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who refuse to quit. 💪📖🔥 All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to…

Keep reading

9/11 Never Forget; An Awesome Tribute

Created by Steve A. I hear a song and that song evokes an emotion and that emotion in me helped in the creation of this tribute video. While I wish all of the images were high resolution….some images of that day were caught with low quality equipment and the images I chose all seemed to…

Keep reading

Flight 93 Memorial ceremonies today mark 25 years since 9/11

Today marks 25 years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and observance ceremonies will be held at the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, to remember the lives lost that day. Nearly 3,000 people died and thousands more were injured as terrorists carried out coordinated attacks on the World Trade Center skyscrapers in New…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Man Carries Stranded Moose Calf Across Busy Highway to Reunite It With Its Mother

Posted on by Leave a comment
close up of a moose calf lying on grass

The drama unfolded near Prince George, BC, when a mother moose attempted to lead her newborn twin calves across Highway 97. While the mother successfully made it to the other side, her two calves became trapped in the highway’s center median, unable to climb over the concrete barrier separating the lanes. Motorist Sandie, who witnessed the scene and recorded video, said traffic began slowing as drivers noticed the stranded animals. The worried mother remained nearby, keeping a watchful eye on her babies from the opposite side of the highway. One of the calves eventually managed to scramble over the barrier on its own and reunite with its mother.

The second calf, however, remained stuck. As more time passed and traffic continued to back up, one bystander decided something had to be done. Duane Hogberg carefully approached the frightened newborn, lifted it over the concrete median, and then carried the tiny moose across to safety while its mother waited nearby. The touching moment was captured on video, showing the calf being reunited with its family after the rescue. Thanks to Hogberg’s actions, the young moose was able to safely reach its mother, bringing a stressful situation to a happy ending and earning praise from viewers who called the rescue both brave and compassionate.

Source: Man Carries Stranded Moose Calf Across Busy Highway to Reunite It With Its Mother

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
Jeremiah 17:7-8

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Girl reunites with man who saved her from deadly Dallas apartment explosion

Posted on by Leave a comment
silhouette of a man standing near a fire

Nearly a week after a deadly explosion at the Clyde Apartments in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood, a 10‑year‑old girl who survived the blast has reunited with the man credited with saving her life. Vanessa, who lost her mother, Marisol Perez, and her 18‑month‑old brother in the explosion, met with Rodney Brown on Monday.  The encounter was emotional as family members thanked Brown for pulling the child from the burning building. Rescuer describes instinctive response Brown said he acted on instinct when he saw the girl moments after hearing the first explosion from his nearby building. As he carried her across the street, a second blast erupted, and flames quickly spread through the structure.

He attempted to return to help others trapped inside, but said the fire had already intensified. “I heard them inside asking for help. I can never forget that,” Brown said. “If I had enough time to go back, I would have dug my way in.” Family mourns loss while celebrating survival Family members described the past week as a nightmare as they continue to grieve the loss of Perez and her young son. Vanessa’s birthday fell on Monday, and relatives said Brown’s actions enabled her to reach the age of 10. “You made it possible for her to be 10 years old today,” her aunt said. “It would have been an even bigger tragedy not to have any memory of my sister.” Rescuer rejects hero label Brown rejected the label of hero, saying he was simply grateful the girl survived. “I don’t consider myself a hero,” he said. “I’m just happy she’s alive and with her family.”

Source: Girl reunites with man who saved her from deadly Dallas apartment explosion – CBS Texas

Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Hebrews 1:3

Finding Truth and Life in Jesus

In a world filled with competing voices, confusing paths, and endless distractions, Jesus doesn’t simply show us the way He declares, ‘I am the way.’ When everything around you tries to…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Baltimore County 5-year-old, 10-year-old honored for saving grandmother’s life

Posted on by Leave a comment
a hand holding a medal

A Baltimore County 5-year-old boy and his big brother have been deemed heroes in Perry Hall for saving their grandmother’s life, not just once, but twice.  If it wasn’t for their brave actions, their mother said that things could have been much worse.  For his bravery, Liam was presented with a certificate, a Baltimore County Police plastic badge, and a plastic police officer duckie in front of his class at Honeygo Elementary School, alongside his principal, the school’s student resource officer, and his mom.

A hero can come in all shapes and sizes Liam, 5, and his big brother Ashton Green Scott, 10, are both proof that a hero can come in all shapes and sizes. Their mom, Ashley Paschall, will tell you because she remembers late April when she got a phone call at work that she will never forget.  “I got a phone call, and I heard my 5-year-old, and he said, ‘Mommy, something’s wrong with Mimi. Mimi’s not feeling well.’ And so, I’m like, ‘Liam, what’s going on?’ And he’s like, ‘Mommy, Mimi is on the floor,'” Ashley Paschall said. 

Source: Baltimore County 5-year-old, 10-year-old honored for saving grandmother’s life – CBS Baltimore

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
1 John 3:21-22

Hope in the dark

Pip: A mountain village, a wandering stranger, a mother weaving a basket by the river — Drink of Jesus has been building a world where ancient scripture lands like it’s happening…

Keep reading

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

Edgewater firefighters rescue 8 ducklings trapped in storm drain

Posted on by Leave a comment
selective focus photography of ducks

On April 7, members of the Edgewater Fire and Rescue’s crew 57 received a dispatch call about eight baby ducks trapped in a storm drain in the Florida Shores. When driver engineer Zach Shannon and firefighters Scott Schenke and Aidan Rivero arrived on scene, they saw exactly what the resident had described. “A mother duck was on top of the storm drain, and we heard the duckling in the storm drain,” Shannon said, adding that the incident happened on Fern Palm Drive near 27th Street. After a rescue that involved both scooping some of the ducklings out of the drain and guiding the others out through the drainpipe, they safely rescued all eight of them. Here’s how they did it.

Edgewater firefighters used a hose line to flush ducklings out of storm drain Shannon said that although it is not uncommon for him and his crew to respond to animals rescues, circumstances are often different and require responders to adapt. “With this (storm drain) in particular, it had a couple of access (points) to it, and there was water in the drain and flowing out of each exit and entry,” Shannon said. The team had to lift the drain’s cover to go inside, but they faced a slight complication. “As soon as we would go in, the ducklings would scatter and go into the tubes,” Shannon said. “We had to wait for them to come back into the drain.”

Source: Edgewater firefighters rescue 8 ducklings trapped in storm drain

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
1 Peter 2:24

A School Shooter Thought He Would Kill Children>>>🤼‍♀️ This Heroic Principal Had Other Ideas

Posted on by Leave a comment
close up of a yellow school bus with stop sign

An Oklahoma principal who was shot in the leg while tackling a school shooter on Tuesday was hailed a hero for stopping the gunman and preventing a worse tragedy, officials said. Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore and other staff spotted the gunman, later identified as 20-year-old former student Victor Hawkins, and immediately jumped into action to subdue him, according to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI). “The principal of the school had noticed that an adult male subject, 20 years old, had stepped foot into the school with a gun,” OSBI spokesperson Hunter McKee told KOCO-TV.

“When the principal noticed this, he quickly stepped in, as well as other staff. The subject was able to fire multiple rounds, where the principal was hurt, but no one else was.” Moore was airlifted to a hospital in stable condition, authorities said. “The actions of the staff and the principal stepping in as soon as they saw a subject with a firearm saved lives today,” McKee told the outlet. The shooting unfolded around 2:21 p.m., according to authorities. The school was placed on lockdown until officers cleared the scene, and students were later reunited with their families.

Source: A School Shooter Thought He Would Kill Children – This Heroic Principal Had Other Ideas

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.
Psalm 56:3

Philadelphia high school student breaks truck window to save woman appearing to have a seizure

Posted on by Leave a comment
shattered glass pattern with radial cracks

A teenager sprang into action to help save a woman who appeared to be having a seizure behind the wheel. Witnesses said that if not for the 17-year-old boy, it could have ended a lot worse. Jaheim Warner, a junior at Tacony Academy Charter High School in Philadelphia, said he was walking home Thursday evening after his baseball game and noticed a few women panicking and banging on a white truck in the middle of the road on Tulip Street “I said, ‘What’s happening?’ And they were like, ‘She’s seizing in the car,'” Warner said. Some of the witnesses told CBS News Philadelphia the white pickup truck had been slowly rolling down the street before it entered the intersection of Tulip and Hellerman streets. 

Source: Philadelphia high school student breaks truck window to save woman appearing to have a seizure – CBS Philadelphia

As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
Psalm 103:13

BEST OF THE BEST: ICE Officer Saves One-Year-Old Child’s Life at JFK Airport

Posted on by Leave a comment
airplane over american flags near washington monument

On March 25, 2026, an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent helping to support Transportation Security Administration (TSA) operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York jumped into action to help save the life of a one-year-old child experiencing a medical emergency.

Source: BEST OF THE BEST: ICE Officer Saves One-Year-Old Child’s Life at JFK Airport | Homeland Security

Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6