Suzanne's Mom's Blog

Photo: Still image of A1 Hand Car Wash surveillance video.
Ron Nessman stops a baby stroller that was freely rolling into the path of traffic after being blown by wind in California. 

I once read a mystery series in which a man spends all his spare time trying to track down the homeless man said to have pushed his wife and child into the path of a New York subway car. But appearances can be deceiving, as readers learn if they stick with the series.

I thought of those books when I read today’s story about a homeless man who stopped a runaway stroller.

Ramon Antonio Vargas reports at the Guardian, “Having experienced homelessness and unemployment for years, Ron Nessman was leaving a job interview at an Applebee’s restaurant in California when a baby in a stroller rolling into the path of several cars captured his attention.

“Nessman sprinted toward the stroller, stopped it before it reached the roadway, saved the child from harm – and landed his first job in years. …

“ ‘I didn’t even have time to think about it,’ Nessman told the local news station KOVR-TV when reflecting on his actions, which many have hailed as heroic. ‘You just react.’

“Unhoused for about eight years, Nessman had reportedly been living with his sister during recent months and was in need of work when he went to an Applebee’s in San Bernardino county to interview for a position washing dishes at the restaurant on May 1. Nessman had left the interview and was waiting on a bench outside when he spotted an extraordinary emergency unfolding.

“A woman had stopped on the driveway of a nearby car wash and loaded her great-nephew into a stroller when strong winds blew the baby away from her. The woman chased after the stroller but fell, and she struggled to get back up as she helplessly watched the baby roll toward a street which was packed with motorists who may or may not have been obeying a speed limit of 40 miles an hour.

“Nessman immediately jumped up from the bench, sprinted to the stroller and stopped it with his right hand as it approached the nearest traffic lane, according to dramatic video captured by a surveillance camera at the car wash. He turned the stroller around and began wheeling it up the driveway as at least eight cars who did not appear to notice the scene zoomed by.

“ ‘I said, you know, “I got it!” ‘ Nessman recounted. … I felt so bad for the lady. I got nephews and nieces. I can imagine something like that.

” ‘I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself if I did nothing.’ …

“The video of Nessman’s leaping into life-saving action circulated widely on social media. Nessman told the California news station KNSD that relatives as far away as Florida and Missouri had seen the footage.

“In his interview with KOVR, Nessman said he began experiencing homelessness after becoming deeply struck with grief over his girlfriend’s unexpected death.

“ ‘It was sudden and I didn’t want to do anything,’ Nessman said. …

“KNSD reported on May 4 that Applebee’s subsequently hired Nessman, and his orientation was scheduled for the next day.”

More at the Guardian, here. No firewall.