Oct. 28 began as just a regular day for Great Oak High School freshman Roman Nunez, but it didn't quite end that way.
Nunez, a part of Great Oak's AFJROTC Program, was walking to pick up his uniform in preparation for a community service event at Luiseno Elementary School when he came across a young boy who was walking while listening to his iPod.
As the young boy, Brandon, prepared to cross the street, a white SUV that was backing out and accelerating down the street did not see the him. What Roman Nunez proceeded to do was an act of heroism that sounds straight from a movie.
"The car didn't appear to be slowing down, so I grabbed him and pushed him out of the way," says Nunez. He saved Brandon from harm's way and returned him to his home safely.
Brandon was initally in shock, he says, but the next day he thanked Nunez and told him he wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him.
Brandon's mother offered Roman $50 for his good deed, but he refused the money. "I was uncomfortable taking the money," he said. "It was just the right thing to do."
Nunez said he advised Brandon to listen to his iPod at a lower volume in the future in order to be more aware of his surroundings, and said the two are now good friends.
Although Brandon was saved from what would've surely been a terrible accident, Nunez did not leave the scene completely unscathed. "The car clipped my leg, and it dislocated my ankle," he says.
Nevertheless, he says he's glad he did what he did. His actions were honored at Great Oak Integrity Rally on Tuesday Nov. 2, where he was recognized by his fellow students for his heroic and selfless behavior.
