Teen Pushes Baby Stroller Out of the Way of Shooting, Takes a Bullet

State   |   Lauren Enriquez   |   Jun 5, 2013   |   11:17AM   |   Bronx, NY

Sarah Rivera, a 15-year-old student in the Bronx, New York, is being hailed as a hero after she bravely ran into the line of gunshot fire in her neighborhood to rescue a three-year-old in harm’s way. 

This past Saturday, Sarah was walking to the store near her Bronx apartment when she noticed shots fired in front of her home. She saw a group of people scatter from the scene, but a baby carriage was left in the crossfire. Sarah quickly and instinctively ran to move the carriage out of harm’s way, and at the same time she was shot in the leg.

According to ABC, Rivera said: “There was two shots and everybody starting running and there was a baby stroller in the way, so I pushed the baby stroller out of the way and a third shot hit me in the leg that’s why I fell on the floor.”

Fortunately, the bullet did not hit any bones or major nerves in Rivera’s leg, so she has been released from the hospital and is expected to recover normally. However, the tiny three-year-old would not have been so lucky as to survive such an incident, according to witnesses. Rivera’s mother attests that the toddler only survived because of her daughter’s brave act.

In a nation where helpless children are unprotected by the legislative system, witnessing Sarah Rivera’s compassionate humanity towards a little one is refreshing and encouraging.