Saddle Brook, New Jersey – An elderly woman trying to cross the tracks in front of an oncoming train was saved by a driver who sprinted from his car and pulled her out of the way, authorities said.
Jon Mango was waiting at a Saddle Brook railroad crossing when he saw a woman with two canes trying to cross Wednesday afternoon, police said. Mango jumped out of his car and guided the woman away from the tracks.
“I’m watching and I see her going across and I’m like, ‘This isn’t feeling right,'” Mango said.
A dashcam video shows Mango jump into action as the crossing lights began to flash and the nearby train sounded its horn.
“I saw the train was really coming. I sprinted onto the tracks, and I pulled her by the arm,” Mango said. “She actually stopped because she was scared, so then I tried grabbing her arm and then really tried pulling her. She was having a lot of trouble.”
By the time they reached the other side of the tracks, the train had missed the woman by inches, Mango said. She was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
Police praised Mango and even called his workplace to let them know what he did. But Mango said he’s not a hero — he just saw that “something needed to be done.”
“Just an ordinary Wednesday,” Mango said.
Associated Press