A 27-year-old man in Saint Paul, Minnesota, sprang into action on Monday afternoon to halt a runaway school bus carrying terrified children after the driver suffered a sudden medical emergency.
Ebro Ahmed was outside his family store, Ya Bricks Snacks and Tobacco, kicking a soccer ball and checking his phone during a break when the yellow bus rolled past with its door wide open.
Ahmed realised something was wrong immediately upon seeing the driver with foam coming from his mouth, which can indicate a seizure. He sprinted after the vehicle, leapt through the open door, and threw his phone and glasses to two girls sitting near the front to free his hands.
"I’m a numbers guy, and those numbers make sense to me," Ahmed said on Friday. A verse from the Qu’ran about saving a life being equivalent to saving all of humanity entered his mind. "I didn’t do it for me. It was selflessness in the name of God."
With frightened children screaming around him, Ahmed attempted to shift the vehicle into park before pulling the emergency brake. The bus came to a halt without any injuries to the 19 students on board or anyone on the street.
A statement issued by Saint Paul public schools on Friday confirmed that a medical emergency occurred on the bus outside the store, requiring a response from paramedics. A replacement bus later transported the students home, while the driver was taken to hospital and subsequently discharged to rest at home.
Surveillance footage of the incident captured by the shop was obtained and published by local news outlet KTSP, sending the video viral. Ahmed also credited the television medical drama Grey’s Anatomy for teaching him how to handle unexpected crises.
Beyond the immediate rescue, Ahmed reflected on the challenges faced by his parents, who immigrated to the United States from Eritrea. Business at their store had declined after federal immigration enforcement operations in Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Ahmed received a local marketing company donation of $1,000 presented by a performer dressed as Superman, along with congratulatory messages from a city council member and an uncle in Europe. He expressed pride in representing the Eritrean and East African community positively through the event.
