An unverified video shows the horrific moment a white man forcefully shoved a crying woman into the back of a silver SUV as she shouted for help.
Fortunately, four quick-thinking Black men saw the woman struggling as they drove by and immediately jumped into action.
The men rushed the SUV, which already had a smashed windshield.
One yelled out, “Hey, get off of her!” while another opened the back door and said, “Hop out, hop out.”
The woman escaped, and the suspect hastily jumped back into the front seat, but he wasn’t quick enough.
Soon, fists were flying as the men swung at him from both sides of the SUV, all while continuing to film. The video also shows cash scattered on the ground.
Though the men’s identities are unknown, the public is hailing them as heroes.
“Thank you to these brave, responsible men!!! She could’ve been part of the statistics today,” one person exclaimed on X, where the footage first surfaced on October 12. Another wrote, “Those guys deserve a medal.”
A third person said, “Those men shouldn’t pay for a damn drink anywhere they go for the next year.”
Former nuclear scientist turned content creator Matt Van Swol posted the original video, which has garnered more than 12 million views and countless shares.
The footage leaves many questions open.
There are few clues as to the suspect’s identity, where this took place, or even what the dispute was about.
It’s unknown whether this was an attempted kidnapping, as Van Swol alleged, a domestic dispute, or something else. No police reports about the incident have surfaced yet.
Many viewers noted the suspect wore a T-shirt from a restaurant in the Destin, Florida, area. The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, which covers the Destin area, has not issued any statements.
What’s certain is the praise and admiration for the bystanders who stepped in.
A top comment on Atlanta Black Star read: “We need more men willing to step up like this.”
While many online users question race’s role in the incident, Atlanta Black Star commenters point to who steps in to protect others and who gets left to fend for themselves.
“I just pray that the brown Queens receive the same consideration and protection,” one reader wrote.
Another comment, which drew more than 12,000 likes, read: “Black people to the rescue once again.”
