Not all heroes wear capes.
In this story, particularly, this hero doesn’t have a unique costume or power. All he had was the instinct to save a life.
This is Jonathan Bauer.
For a while, he was known as the ‘Good Samaritan.’ Not much was known about him except for the heroic act he did.
So, what exactly did Jonathan do?
Last May 23, the Ocean City Police Department was called to the scene where a 5-vehicle accident took place in Route 90 Bridge around 2:45 PM. The cars were wrecked beyond what you could imagine.
One of the vehicles was dangling by the side of the bridge.
Judging by the pick-up truck’s position, it’s something (or someone) that must have fallen off from the car. True enough, there was.
A two-year-old toddler on her back.
Jonathan saw this and never thought twice of jumping off the guardrail and into the Assawoman Bay to save the child. He saw and took the child to his arms.
But one good thing inspired others also to reach out a hand.
On one side, the Oertel Family was nearby and also saw the accident. They thought the same thing as Jonathan – that someone fell off from the truck to the water. They sped up to the area by the scene and saw Jonathan carrying the toddler.
They helped him and the baby out of the water.
For a while, Jonathan was just known as the ‘Good Samaritan’ who jumped off the bridge. A humble man as he is, he wanted to stay anonymous, but the world wanted to recognize the good he did.
He spoke in front of the public for the first time the Friday after the incident. He has met numerous emergency officials in Ocean City who helped him in that rescue. It was then when all the people’s questions were answered.
Here’s Jonathan Bauer — the Good Samaritan who dived into the Assawoman Bay, in Ocean City, to rescue a 2-yo girl who was ejected into the water during a car crash Sunday. He spoke to @scottbroom & other reporters about the experience. He thanked OC emergency crews too. (@wusa9) pic.twitter.com/sKJDLjoeaB
— John Henry (@JohnHenryWUSA) May 7, 2021
What was the first thing that crossed his mind? Why did he do what he did? Jonathan recalled the accident scene and shared that the first thing he remembers was hearing cars screech, some yelling, and seeing a truck in the railing. That’s when he saw someone teetering at the edge of the guardrail, not saying anything but pointed to the water below.
“When I looked over, I saw the car seat, some items, and then about 6 feet from the car seat was the little girl.”
But even with the limelight on him, Jonathan said he came over to thank them.
He thanked the rest of the emergency crew and the Oertel Family for staying with his daughter in his car and for helping him out of the water with the baby in his arms.
For Jonathan, that act wasn’t just all about him. It was a team effort.
He gave credit to the Oertel Family, the local policemen, firefighters, and paramedics who helped everyone involved in the accident.
“This is a team effort, not one person. But a team was successful on that day,” he said during his public appearance.
Luckily, everyone in the vehicles survived.
A salute to everyone who helped and acted on the scene right away.
And a big thanks to Jonathan Bauer!
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