This quick-thinking teen has been hailed as a hero after cleverly befriending a woman’s kidnapper to rescue her.
Have you ever seen something that just doesn’t seem quite right, and wondered if you should intervene? You’re not even sure they need my help, right? Well, that’s exactly what happened to happened to 17-year-old Malyk Bonnet on Aug. 1, 2015. Instead of hesitating, he did a very brave thing – he listened to his gut and saved a life in the process.
That day, Bonnet was waiting for the bus after a working a shift at a Montreal restaurant. Everything seemed normal, until he spotted something suspicious across the street. He saw a man and woman arguing. The man’s body language was very threatening. It was an alarming red flag to Bonnet, and he decided to step in.
“He wasn’t really gentle with her, and I started watching, because I thought he would hit her, so I approached them a little bit,” Bonnet told CBC News.
According to the report, the couple asked Bonnet if he could lend them bus fares to Laval, a city about 25 miles away from downtown Montreal.
The 17-year-old felt uneasy about what was happening. But instead of declining, he decided to get more involved. He helped the man and woman with their fares and told them he was also traveling to Laval –– which was not the case.
“My plan was to keep them in a public place where he wouldn’t hurt her,” Bonnet told reporters.
After arriving in Laval, the quick-thinking teenager suggested they grab a bite to eat. At the restaurant, he gave the pair $50 for food and excused himself to use the restroom. Finally having the opportunity, Bonnet called the police and told them “someone had been kidnapped.” Officers arrived minutes later.
Bonnet had no idea that police were already looking for the perpetrator and his victim.
“We were looking for a 29-year-old woman who was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend earlier that day. We believed that man was very dangerous. His quick actions may have saved this young woman’s life,” Lt. Daniel Guérin told CBC News.
The officers made sure to collect money so Bonnet could be reimbursed for the bus fares and food he purchased while trying to save the victim. “He now has 500 new friends in our department,” Guérin said.
After the arrest, Bonnet told reporters that while he didn’t speak with the woman after police arrived, he could see how relieved she was. “We made eye contact and she had tears in her eyes. She was really happy.”
Watch the CBC interview below:
Bonnet doesn’t see himself as a hero, but what he did is truly heroic. What did you think of this quick-thinking, clever young man?
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