A group of motorbike riders in Brooklyn came to the rescue of a couple that lost consciousness while driving with a toddler in the back seat.
The vehicle, in a May 16 incident captured on video by one of the riders who was wearing smart glasses, began veering slowly into oncoming traffic at the intersection of Beverly Road and Kings Highway when the dozen or so bikers took notice and checked on the driver.
“[We] automatically turned around to see what was going on, and we got to the car, we acknowledged that it was a kid in the back of the car and the adults was passed out,” the biker who posted the video — @Chad__5 — told NBC Local in an interview. “So, the first thing that we did was try to come to the aid of the adults and then get the kid out of the car as fast as possible.”
The video shows the bikers checking the pulses of the unresponsive male driver and female passenger and attempting to wake the driver by rubbing his chest and pouring a beverage on his face. They removed the toddler from the vehicle and asked a woman standing nearby to look after her.
“Miss, can you hold the baby please? She’s scared,” Chad said in the video.
Chad said it took approximately eight or nine minutes for first responders to arrive.
NYPD officials say the driver, 34-year-old Joseph Santanelli, became combative at the scene after he regained consciousness. Santanelli faces five charges, including aggravated DWI and acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17. His female passenger has not been charged.
Chad called it a traumatic and overwhelming situation, adding the riders did whatever they could to help.
“The majority of us that’s riding in the pack are fathers,” he said. “So, we just jumped into daddy mode … I felt like a superhero at first.”
He said he posted a portion of the video on social media for awareness, to show guardians to use precaution when they have children with them and to remind civilians to always be aware of their surroundings.
Chad says he never expected the reaction the video has received. The Instagram video has been seen over 4.5 million times and has more than 125,000 likes, 5,000 comments and 5,000 reposts.
He said the mother of the toddler, who he was told is not the woman in the vehicle, also thanked him on social media.
“It was heartwarming to get her to reach out to us and thank us and then seeing all the people on Instagram, social media actually thanking us too for actually being there,” he said. “So, it was more so heartwarming, and we are very grateful and appreciative.”
He said he also discussed the incident with local councilwoman Darlene Mealy, whose office then supplied the bike riders with Narcan, a nasal spray that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose, should they again encounter someone in need while on one of their rides. Chad said an event is being held at the end of June to train the riders on how to properly use the medication in an emergency situation.
“[It’s] heartwarming to actually see that people see that we’re actually willing to help and try to help us out,” he said.
He said he hopes the incident also sheds a new light on bike riders.
“I definitely would love for people to see that we’re not just people run the street and cause chaos,” he said. “We are definitely willing to help. We’re human beings, too. So, we’re more than willing to help anyone that’s in need.”
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