A School Bus Was Rolling With Its Door Open. A Stranger Ran Aboard to Help 18 Children

WATCH

WATCH: Surveillance footage published by ABC News. Video courtesy of YA Bricks Snacks and Tobacco.

Ebro Ahmed was outside a St. Paul business when a school bus passed with its door open. Then he noticed the driver was in distress.

He ran toward the moving bus and climbed aboard.

According to KSTP’s reporting, 18 children were on board during the Monday afternoon emergency in Minnesota’s Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. The station reviewed surveillance footage showing Ahmed rushing to help.

Getting aboard was only the beginning

Ahmed, 27, told CBS he had never operated a school bus. While trying to stop it, he accidentally selected reverse before shifting into neutral and engaging the parking brake.

Behind him, frightened students had their phones out.

St. Paul Public Schools said the children attended Battle Creek Middle School. No injuries were reported. Paramedics responded to the driver, and another bus took the students home. Counselors checked on them the following day.

An unexpected source of composure

Ahmed credited Grey’s Anatomy with reminding him to stay calm. He recognized that the show was acting, but said watching its doctors handle emergencies helped him keep his composure.

The district had not released details about the driver’s condition in the cited report.

This time, the person who stepped in was a stranger standing outside a neighborhood business. His decision to pay attention mattered to everyone aboard.

Who is someone in your community whose quick thinking deserves more recognition?

Written by Siri Alexander
Published by WHH Media Network

Sources and video credits: KSTP/5 Eyewitness News reporting, summarized by Daily Dispatch; WCCO/CBS Newspath reporting carried by Local 12; ABC News video. Surveillance footage and featured-image still credited to YA Bricks Snacks and Tobacco. Cover design by WHH Media Network.