By james art An off-duty police officer rescued a child from a vehicle in the path of an oncoming train in Southern California.
A figure was seen racing toward an SUV stuck in the path of an oncoming train, a video posted to Instagram by @MorenoValleyMatters2024 in September shows. The figure then pulled what appeared to be a child out of the vehicle and ran away from danger. Another figure was seen running from the car just before the train struck the vehicle and dragged it across the tracks.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Office (SBSD) identified the rescue figure as Deputy Michael Castaneda, who was off duty at the time. The accident happened at a rural railroad crossing in Redlands, which is about 60 miles east of Los Angeles, according to CBS News. (RELATED: ‘Thank you for saving me’: Bodycam video shows police saving children less than a minute before Blaze engulfs room)
Castaneda was behind the vehicle when it became stuck in the gravel as the crossing gates began to close, he told the publication.
“I knew something was going on and it needed something[ed] it has to be done quickly,” he said.
The off-duty officer said he saw the driver of the vehicle, a woman, run to the car and get back in.
“It dawned on me pretty quickly right now that there was probably a child in the back or another passenger in the vehicle,” Castaneda said. “And that train was really coming.”
“As soon as he dropped that kid off, I heard the horn and for me that was the start of the race. I started running to get that kid out of there,” he continued, adding that time seemed to slow down during the seconds-long incident.
The woman successfully pulled out the second child seconds before the train crashed into the carriage. (RELATED: Wild video shows train slam into tractor trailer, tank. Driver narrowly escapes)
“I think it was the perfect time for me to be somewhere,” Castaneda told the publication. “What I do for work, what I’ve done in the past, is just help people.”
The SBSD honored Castaneda with a Meritorious Valor Award, calling the heroic act “a true example of courage and dedication to our community.”