Luis Enrique Cruz rushes to save a child who ran into the road, reaching the scene before the child's parents. (Captured from X account 'Mexico_NewsMX')
Luis Enrique Cruz rushes to save a child who ran into the road, reaching the scene before the child's parents. (Captured from X account 'Mexico_NewsMX')

A video of a man in Mexico diving to save a young child who had run onto a six-lane road has drawn wide attention online.

The man is Luis Enrique Cruz, 34, a supermarket store manager in Puebla, Mexico.

According to Mexican media and The New York Times on Wednesday (local time), Cruz had come to work on his day off, Sunday, and was doing tasks outside the store.

Around 2 p.m., as he was moving rolls of toilet paper, he spotted a young child near the store running toward the six-lane road.

The child's mother, chasing after him, fell partway through the pursuit, and the child kept running straight toward the oncoming traffic. An SUV speeding down the road slammed on its brakes and honked, narrowly avoiding a collision in a harrowing moment.

In that instant, Cruz sprinted toward the child at full speed. Just before the vehicle would have struck the child, he lunged and grabbed him, then rolled several times toward the sidewalk while holding the child in his arms, narrowly averting disaster.

His split-second decision made him less a "Supermarket Man" and more a real-life Superman. The child was unharmed and was handed back to his parents, who arrived moments later.

Cruz, limping slightly after the rescue, casually returned to his work as if nothing had happened.

Describing the moment, Cruz said, "I saw the mother reach out but couldn't grab him. I saw the SUV coming and realized the danger was right there, so I immediately ran as fast as I could."

Cruz, a father of four, said, "It was above all a father's instinct to protect a child," adding, "Nothing in the world is more precious than a child."

After footage of the rescue spread widely on social media, Cruz became a local hero.

Cruz reportedly received a warm welcome from residents, including a meeting with the governor of Puebla and free meals from local restaurants.

The supermarket also presented Cruz with a "Store Manager of the Year" award on Monday, along with a cash reward of 20,000 pesos ($1,200).

Still, Cruz said, "I just did what needed to be done. Honestly, I never imagined the video would get this much attention or that I'd receive this kind of praise." He went on to say, "How would I have felt if something had happened to that child when I could have done something? I've always been taught those values since I was young, and I believe you should always do the right thing."


betterj@heraldcorp.com