Times were grim for 73-year-old Robert Wells as he was trapped in his Forenso house while it burned down around him. Well’s 51-year-old daughter managed to escape the fire and called for help while filming the event on her phone.
Bystanders stood by helplessly as they waited for the firefighters. Suddenly, a man wearing a baseball cap emerged from the smoke, carrying Wells over his shoulder to safety. The mysterious savior left as quickly as he appeared so he couldn’t be identified. Until recently.
The rescuer is Thomas Artiaga, a truck driver and family man. He happened to be driving in the area when he noticed the burning building.
In what he can only describe as “instinct”, he leaped out of his truck and grabbed Wells from his backyard. He then went on with his business like nothing happened, but acts of heroism can’t go unnoticed.
News of his heroic deeds soon caught up with him and he was asked to appear on the Jimmy Kimmel show to honor his bravery.
Because of his baseball cap, it was discovered that Artiaga is a huge fan of the LA Dodgers. He was brought on stage of the show and met with Dodgers manager Tommy Lasorda who shook his hand and presented him with a signed baseball and jersey. Artiaga was also given the chance to throw the first pitch for the Dodgers game this weekend.
Thanks to Artiaga’s selflessness one man is able to spend a little more time with his family.
There’s a quote from Artiaga that should be remembered by all, “It’s just an instinct – you see something and you help out people.” His words fly true, it should be instinct to do good and help others. He would never say this because he’s much too humble, but we should all take example of his deed and try to be a little more like Artiaga.