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 there to help. He saved a life. Wtg Tony!https://twitter.com/RawStory/status/1418517771122511872\u00a0\u2026— Doris Bivings\u264f\ud83e\udd82\ud83e\udd42\ud83e\udd42\ud83e\udd42\ud83e\udd42\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc99\u2764\u2764 (@Doris Bivings\u264f\ud83e\udd82\ud83e\udd42\ud83e\udd42\ud83e\udd42\ud83e\udd42\ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc99\u2764\u2764) 1627046806
And also the man who saved the other man\u2019s life was a lawn worker who happened to be walking by, and yet he saved a stranger while the man\u2019s own neighbors were apparently horrified by this?— Amber Sparks (@Amber Sparks) 1627177787
My faith in humanity is both renewed and eroded in this story.https://twitter.com/NBCNews/status/1419387260139622404\u00a0\u2026— Rich Stromberg (@Rich Stromberg) 1627267682
Wow, great job by Tony, the good samaritan who saved the stricken driver. What terrible people those homeowners are though who just wanted him off their lawn.— Mary McManus (@Mary McManus) 1627243706
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.
It\u2019s unreal. How do you live with yourself, right?— Amber Sparks (@Amber Sparks) 1627220286
What makes it all so much worse is, they were his neighbors\u2026 granted not next door but just down the street. I hope each time he drives past, they feel badly about what they said. I hope this\u2019ll change their and they will do better from here on out. Be the change, like Tony!— Jane Donte' (@Jane Donte') 1627057064
Who are these callous neighbors?\n\n\u2018Have him die somewhere else,\u2019 Florida homeowners yell at man trying to save neighbor\u2019s life on their lawn.https://www.yahoo.com/news/him-die-somewhere-else-florida-232500311.html\u00a0\u2026— Weary Veteran (@Weary Veteran) 1627079509
I knew this would be Florida.— Tommy Ben Bergman (@Tommy Ben Bergman) 1627178553
Strangely enough, the neighbors had a few defenders online, though they were few and quickly shut down.
I\u2019m sorry\u2026 did you just try to equate a stranger saving someone\u2019s life to his \u201cresponsibility\u201d to remove him from another person\u2019s property? He can help or he can move him by himself. The entitlement is disgusting— Jessica (@Jessica) 1627244420
You didn't read the article, did you?\n\nBecause the news came from the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.\n\nHow much more official does it have to be before you'll believe it?— Accelerationista (@Accelerationista) 1627244233
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.
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