A five-year-old girl who was rescued from the side of the road by a hero bus driver shared a heartfelt message when the two were reunited.
Adaline ‘Addy’ González was seen wandering alone on a Harlem sidewalk while Luis Jiménez, 60, was on his morning shift as a New York MTA bus driver in September.
Now the couple has reunited, giving Addy the opportunity to express her gratitude for having someone looking out for her.
She told him: ‘Thank you Luis, for being my hero and saving my life.’
Addy had decided to skip school so she could go to the pet store and buy a new pet fish after hers had died earlier that day. She hadn’t told her parents where she was going, but Jiménez saw her and sensed something was wrong.
Addy González and Luis Jiménez danced happily together and Addy shared messages of gratitude during the long-awaited opportunity to reunite.
The girl had skipped school after her fish died with the plan to go to a pet store and get a new pet fish.
“My instinct as a parent came about because if I saw a child on the street needing help, I would want someone to help one of my children or one of my grandchildren,” he previously said.
He had kept his eyes on Addy through the front window, before finally deciding to pull over, call his operator, and call the passenger at 911.
Her school had reported her missing after she didn’t show up to class, something she had no history of doing.
Her mother, Julissa, told WABC: “We were totally scared. We didn’t know what to think. “We know, we were terrified because that’s our little girl.”
The couple was reunited with Addy’s family after Jimenez rescued her from walking alone on a Harlem sidewalk.
Addy got her new fish and decided to name him after her rescuer and named him Luis.
Addy had already walked ten blocks from her school when Jiménez saw her.
When he was able to meet with her this week, he says he couldn’t have been happier.
‘It made me feel very good. My heart was pounding. I couldn’t wait to meet her and her parents because something like that should be celebrated. She was able to go home,” Jiménez said. WABC.
As a token of her appreciation, Addy decided to do something super special.
‘I decided to name my new fish Luis. “I was excited and happy and it was perfect,” she said.
The young woman’s family also gave Jiménez a token of their appreciation and presented her with a New York Jets cap that said “Addy’s Hero.”
Addy and her family gave Jimenez a New York Jets cap that said “Addy’s Hero” as a token of their appreciation.
Addy’s father, César González, said: ‘It’s lovely to meet Luis. …And thank God. Thank you. You know, (by Jiménez) she is here with us today’
Addy’s father, César González, told WABC: ‘It’s beautiful to meet Luis. …And thank God. Thank you. You know, (thanks to Jiménez) she’s here with us today.’
The veteran bus driver is approaching his 26th year as a New York City transit employee, working from 6 am to 4 pm on different routes.
‘Driving in New York City is like a perfect day. “I open that door and it’s like the world comes to me,” he said. The art of making.
And he added: ‘I love my passengers. “I want to give them the best trip, the best time, the best view of the city as I take them to their destination.”