Somebody buy this man a cerveza.
Heart-pounding video shows a heroic supermarket manager sprinting into oncoming traffic to rescue a toddler who had run into a busy roadway in Mexico, snatching her out of harm’s way with a deft barrel roll.
CCTV footage taken outside the El Rey del Ahorro supermarket in Puebla shows the little girl running full speed into the street as bystanders looked on in horror, helplessly bracing themselves for the worst as cars sped down the road.
A split second before a silver minivan would have struck the girl, a store manager, Luis Cruz, sprang into action and scooped up the girl in the nick of time, before handing her back to what appeared to be her parents.
After the youngster was safe and sound, Cruz can be seen on the surveillance footage limping slightly back to the pallet jack he was using before he raced into the street, resuming his work where he left off.
The supermarket lauded his quick-thinking actions and selfless heroism in a lengthy Instagram post, naming him Manager of the Year and presenting him with a 20,000 peso ($1,184) reward.
“In a world where indifference often defines one’s ‘aura,’ you demonstrated today that your aura is that of a true HERO. Because today, you didn’t just save a result, a sale, or an operation. Today, you saved a life,” the glowing social media post translated from Spanish read in part.
“To many, it might seem like you were simply in the right place at the right time. But we know it was more than that. It was about being attentive. It was about reacting. It was about not standing idly by when a little girl was seconds away from a tragedy,” the store continued.
“That is why, as a group, we feel fortunate today—not just to have an extraordinary manager among us, but to share this space with an extraordinary person. We don’t know if this reward is significant compared to what you did. In all likelihood, no plaque, recognition, or award could ever measure up to the life you helped preserve.”
