DAYTONA, Fla. (April 29, 2013) — An employee of an RNR Custom Wheels & Tire Express store in Daytona is being hailed as a hero for rescuing two dogs from a woman's burning car and for saving the woman from possible injury.
According to RNR, the store was closing up for the day on April 24 when two employees, John Bracy and Martin Cervantes, were alerted by two men passing by that a woman at the neighboring BP gas station was about to set her car on fire.
The two employees went over to the gas station just as the woman had poured gasoline over her vehicle and set it ablaze. Then they heard the woman yelling that her "babies" were in the car, Mr. Bracy quickly ran to the car expecting to find children inside. Instead he found two dogs, which he then removed from the burning car.
Then the woman ran out into the busy street and sat down. Mr. Bracy went after her, eventually bringing her back into the parking lot. When he couldn't calm her down, and afraid that she might hurt herself or cause an accident, Mssrs. Bracy and Cervantes restrained the woman until police arrived. No one was injured and the woman was taken into custody, according to RNR.
"It all happened really fast," Mr. Cervantes said. "This woman just poured gasoline all over her car and set it on fire. I'm not sure how my buddy wasn't hurt because the whole back of the car was on fire."
"Some people will stand by and watch, and others will jump into action with no hesitation to do the right thing for others, and for that, I'm calling John a hero," said Rafael Rivera, manager of RNR's Daytona store, which had just opened for business March 1 as the company's ninth corporate location.