A young student is being praised for helping save a homeless man stuck inside a manhole Wednesday in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Thirteen-year-old Carlos Cabrera was walking to school that morning when he heard someone calling for help, according to KRIS 6. However, it took Carlos a moment to figure out where the voice was coming from as he approached the building.
“I thought it was coming from the cafeteria, but I got more over (towards the manhole) and it was in there,” he said.
Cabrera knew he had to do something quick, so he ran to a teacher, who alerted the school’s resource officer, Orlando Sanchez.
Once Sanchez radioed rescue crews, he went over to where Cabrera said he heard the cries for help.
“As I got closer to the manhole I started hearing the voices even louder,” he recalled. “I was able to remove the manhole cover, and there was a gentleman in there about waist high in sewage.”
Corpus Christi Independent School District Police Chief Kirby Warnke said the man had crawled into the hole outside Haas Middle School the night before to try and escape the cold weather.
Once Sanchez and rescue workers lifted him out of the manhole, he was taken to a nearby hospital and treated for a possible case of hypothermia. His condition is currently unknown.
Thursday, Principal Anna Fuentes presented Cabrera with a special certificate in celebration of his heroic efforts.
“In recognition for the display of responsiveness award this certificate of excellence to Carlos Cabrera in appreciation for alerting authorities and displaying compassion for someone in need,” the certificate read.
“We’re so proud of Carlos for doing the right thing,” Fuentes said of her remarkable student:
An October survey estimated that about 380 homeless people currently live in Corpus Christi, compared to 424 in 2018.
“We have amazing service providers, and this is a really generous community,” said Homeless Outreach Coordinator Emily Shafer Northrup.