Three heroic schoolchildren in the UK who refused to let go of a man trying to jump off a bridge and saved his life are set to be presented with national awards.
Devonte Cafferkey, 13, and Sammy Farah, 14, rushed to grab a man sitting with a rope around his neck on the edge of an overpass on September 21 last year. Friend Shawn Young, who was 12 at the time, called for help.
While trying to keep the man back and talk him out of suicide, he passed the boys his mobile phone saying “if it rings, don’t answer it”.
Jacqueline Cafferkey, Devonte’s mum, said the incident was traumatic for her son, who is glad the man is recovering.
Devonte did not want to go to school on Monday (September 25), which Jacqueline said “never happens”.
“He does not want to talk about it, it has been hard. Sammy has come over and has been quiet.
“I am filled with pride, I keep telling him he saved someone’s life and I hope that he realises that now.”
Mohamed Farah, Sammy’s dad, described his son as a “quiet and humble boy”.
“He has always been helpful to other people, when he sees an older lady on the street with shopping he goes to help,” he said.
He added: “What they did was very brave. The man was a lot bigger and stronger than them and he didn’t care about his life so he could have hurt the boys.
Jacqueline Cafferkey, Devonte’s mum, found out the good news a couple of weeks ago and described it as a “huge achievement”.
The three children, who go to St Mary’s High School, picked up Special Achievement Awards at the Broxbourne Youth Awards for their bravery.
Source: Hertfordshire Mercury
