Veteran MTA bus driver Luis Jimenez stepped up as a hero during his morning shift on Sept. 10, when he spotted a young girl walking alone in Manhattan. Jimenez, who has driven for the MTA for decades, noticed the 5-year-old as he was nearing the end of his route along the M116 bus line near 106th Street and Broadway.
“My instinct as a father came on,” Jimenez said, recalling the moment he saw the little girl dart from the sidewalk. “If I see a kid in the street in need of help, I would want somebody to help one of my children or one of my grandkids.”
Driver Luis Jimenez talks about what happened after he saw a little girl walking alone on the city streets. Photo courtesy of MTA
At first, Jimenez kept an eye on the girl, watching her for a block. He could tell something wasn’t right, so he asked a passenger to call 911 while he pulled the bus over. With the help of the other passengers, they managed to get the girl safely onto the bus.
We have a saying in the MTA, ‘If you see something, say something.’ Well, with me, I will do something,” Jimenez explained.
The police were already searching for the girl after she had slipped out of school earlier that day. She had made it 10 blocks before Jimenez spotted her. The New York City Police Department received multiple 911 calls about sightings of the missing girl, and officers were soon able to track down the bus she was on. “Officers were able to track down and stop the bus,” an NYPD spokesperson said. “EMS responded to the location and evaluated her on scene. There were no injuries reported.”
It turned out the girl had ventured out in hopes of replacing her pet fish, which had died earlier that day. Her journey to the pet store may not have ended with a new fish, but Jimenez was hopeful for her. “If she didn’t get it, we should help out and try to get it for her,” he added.
The 5-year-old was seen walking by herself with her backpack. Photo by the MTA
Jimenez, who is 60 years old, says the experience only reinforced his commitment to helping others. “Helping people out driving the bus is the best thing in the world,” he said, noting that this wasn’t the first time he’d taken action to assist someone in need.
Outside of his duties as a bus driver, Jimenez is also a member of the Timeless Torches, a dance group that performs at New York Liberty games. Describing the group as his “fountain of youth,” Jimenez says dancing keeps him energized and ready to help others, both on and off the bus.
“Times are hard and there’s things happening every day,” Jimenez said. “Every day we got to come in with a positive attitude and be able to … make a difference.”
Sources: People | New York Post
