CLEVELAND — Dozens gathered Wednesday for the American Red Cross of Northern Ohio’s Hero Awards luncheon.
Among those being honored: a semi-pro football team, an Uber Eats driver and an Amazon driver, an off-duty Coast Guard Petty Officer, and two Euclid Police Officers, each recognized for their life-saving role in helping people in need.
We don’t just report the initial story—we follow through to its conclusion. Read and watch our previous reporting on this story below and see more stories that we've followed through on here.
While delivering packages for Amazon last August, John Davis smelled smoke and pulled out a father and son he saw from an upstairs window struggling to escape.
"I got into the doorway, went up some steps and I got in there and started yelling so they could hear me," Davis said. "The little boy came out first and I grabbed him and I pulled them out and they all made it out that day."
That day, Cleveland Heights Battalion Chief Dan Candow was clear in his characterization of what Davis did:
“John Davis is a hero,” Candow said.
As a result, according to Candow, no injuries were reported and no one was transported to a hospital, however, the Red Cross did assist 26 people in eight impacted apartments.
News 5 spoke with one of the individuals pulled from the building that day, who emigrated from Nepal and had been living in the building for the past six years.
Despite a language barrier, the man thanked the Amazon driver for helping him safely get out of the building.
With a badge honoring his "Extra Mile: Going Above & Beyond" on his vest, Davis still replays that day often, never too far from how he felt that day.
"I can’t describe the feeling that it was, just to help somebody that needed help and be there at the right time really," he said.
"You couldn’t possibly ask for someone to be a better citizen, a better neighbor, a better human being," Pete Foradori, Amazon Senior Regional Manager, said. "Think about how selfless that act was."
There’s no uniform, no cape, no telltale sign showing what a hero looks like, just the feeling they leave behind.
As for the packages that still needed to be delivered, Davis detailed how no fire could slow him that day.
"I finished my whole route [that day,]" Davis said. "I still had maybe 100 packages to finish up, but I finished."
To learn about the other honorees, click here.
