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A man in Florida is alive thanks to the actions of a stranger. But it's the response of one of his unhelpful neighbors that has the internet in an outrage.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's office told the story in a Facebook post earlier this month. The post honors local hero, Tony, and inadvertently villainizes unnamed neighbors.
The story was shared July 22.
According to PBCSO, a man started convulsing in his car, rolling down the street. He was having a terrible seizure.
Tony, a local lawncare worker, saw the man in danger and tried to stop the car from rolling with the man inside. He kept trying, despite the vehicle running over his feet in his steel-toed boots.
The car eventually stopped on a neighbor's lawn. Tony screamed for help.
In response, the owners of the property that the vehicle had rolled onto told Tony to get the man off their lawn and:
"Get the man out of here, have him die somewhere else."
People couldn't believe how callous the property owners were.
They should have come out to help instead of worrying about someone dying on their grass. Thank goodness the was th… https://t.co/0nu68RY5Oq— Doris Bivings♏🦂🥂🥂🥂🥂💙💙❤❤ (@Doris Bivings♏🦂🥂🥂🥂🥂💙💙❤❤) 1627046806.0
And also the man who saved the other man’s life was a lawn worker who happened to be walking by, and yet he saved a… https://t.co/1iDWwZdC6W— Amber Sparks (@Amber Sparks) 1627177787.0
My faith in humanity is both renewed and eroded in this story. https://t.co/7DpnbicHVP— Rich Stromberg (@Rich Stromberg) 1627267682.0
@NBCNews Wow, great job by Tony, the good samaritan who saved the stricken driver. What terrible people those homeo… https://t.co/4WlMcZrAfr— Mary McManus (@Mary McManus) 1627243706.0
Tony wasn't discouraged, and realized he knew where the man locked in his vehicle lived. He ran down the street to his house, found his wife, and they called emergency services together.
The emergency responders were able to help the man. Tony's actions saved his life.
After recovering, the man contacted the sheriff's office and asked for Tony's information to thank him. On July 21st, the two men met, and the man gave Tony a hug for his actions.
A hug is surely nicer than being greeted with a cruel disregard for someone possibly dying on your property.
@blktinabelcher It’s unreal. How do you live with yourself, right?— Amber Sparks (@Amber Sparks) 1627220286.0
@FOX13News What makes it all so much worse is, they were his neighbors… granted not next door but just down the str… https://t.co/P0hMMkPXZs— Jane Donte' (@Jane Donte') 1627057064.0
Who are these callous neighbors? ‘Have him die somewhere else,’ Florida homeowners yell at man trying to save neig… https://t.co/GsWNLQudGV— Weary Veteran (@Weary Veteran) 1627079509.0
@PorscheJeff @ambernoelle I knew this would be Florida.— Tommy Ben Bergman (@Tommy Ben Bergman) 1627178553.0
Strangely enough, the neighbors had a few defenders online, though they were few and quickly shut down.
@biceppeakks @NBCNews I’m sorry… did you just try to equate a stranger saving someone’s life to his “responsibility… https://t.co/BetmLT1s9h— Jessica (@Jessica) 1627244420.0
@you_are_bald @NBCNews You didn't read the article, did you? Because the news came from the Palm Beach County Sher… https://t.co/wIapS8n1K2— Accelerationista (@Accelerationista) 1627244233.0
Tony was honored as a local hero by the sheriff's department, and will likely be remembered by the man's family for a long time to come. The neighbors who wanted to get rid of him can be forgotten.
Let's focus on the positive impact of the Tony's of the world.