Awareness can be a lifesaving skill—especially when subtle signals go unnoticed by most. In one incredible case, two Texas teenagers played the role of real-life heroes when they rescued a kidnapped woman.
Aaron Arias, then 19, and Jamal Harris, then 17, were driving through Dallas to pick up a friend when they noticed a young woman in the backseat of another car. From the passenger seat, Harris initially thought the woman was "attractive," but quickly realized she was mouthing something urgent. According to NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, it became clear she was silently pleading for help.
The 911 recording, obtained by the publication, revealed that the teens first made eye contact with the woman and noticed her distressed expression. They saw her silently mouthing “help me” from the car’s backseat. Initially unsure if it was a joke, they hesitated—but after watching the driver’s behavior, they sensed something was wrong.
Without delay, they called 911 and trailed the vehicle. "Yes, I'm on the highway...I'm witnessing a robbery; not a robbery... a kidnapping," Aaron Arias told a Kaufman County Sheriff's Office dispatcher. "It's me and another guy, so we're checking out the girl in the backseat because, we're like, 'OK, she's kind of attractive.' And then, all of the sudden, you know, the guy is turned back, looking at us," they told the 911 operator.
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Noticing the man’s erratic behavior behind the wheel, the teens became convinced something was seriously wrong. Arias observed that the woman looked terrified and was "saying, 'Help me,' or something, whispering it."
They stayed close, trailing the car for about 20 minutes until law enforcement intervened. The driver, Charles Atkins Lewis, was later identified as a repeat offender involved in multiple kidnappings. After her safe rescue, the woman embraced the teens in a moment of emotional relief. "She hugs us...I would describe it as the best hug I have ever gotten," Arias recalled.
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Their quick actions and presence of mind earned Arias and Jamal widespread praise, with many calling them heroes. But when asked how he felt about the label, Arias responded with humility: "She says we saved her life. I guess you could say we did. But I don't want to be that person who says they're a hero."
This article originally appeared last year.
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Ketel Marte was brought to tears during an MLB game after facing a shameful fan taunt.
Baseball manager's poignant support for a player brought to tears after shameful fan taunt
Whether they’re expecting perfection from their favorite players or, worse, behaving callously toward opposing teams, sports fans often forget that athletes are human beings. But athletic competition has the ability to unify and uplift, even amid such painful and unpleasant encounters. Take, for example, a major-league baseball game held June 24, 2025 between the home team Chicago White Sox and visiting Arizona Diamondbacks.
A shameful low point occurred when Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte was at bat in the seventh inning. Per ESPN, a fan reportedly yelled out a comment regarding Marte’s late mother, Elpidia Valdez, who died in a 2017 car accident in the Dominican Republic. Team personnel, including manager Torey Lovullo, then requested the 22-year-old fan be ejected. (Though he was remorseful and admitted his actions were inappropriate, according to an ESPN source, he was nonetheless banned indefinitely from all MLB ballparks.) "We commend the White Sox for taking immediate action in removing the fan," the MLB said in a statement. Marte reportedly declined to comment.
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While the fan’s behavior is inexcusable, it did spark a powerful and inspiring moment. After hearing the comment, Marte was visibly upset, prompting Lovullo to walk on the field, put his arm around him, and offer some words of encouragement. "[I said,] 'I love you, and I’m with you, and we’re all together, and you’re not alone,'" Lovullo said in a post-game interview, as documented by The Rich Eisen Show. "'No matter what happens, no matter what was said or what you’re heard, that guy is an idiot.’"
According to Arizona Republic, Lovullo heard the fan’s comment but didn’t want to repeat it. “I looked right at [Marte] when I heard,” he said. “I looked right at him, and he looked at the person, as well. He put his head down and I could tell it had an immediate impact on him, for sure."
Elsewhere in the post-game interview, the manager called the moment "terrible" and reflected on why he stood up for Marte. "Fans are nasty, and fans go too far sometimes," he said. "I love my players, and I’m gonna protect them…I’ve known Ketel for nine years. He’s had some unbelievably great moments and some hardships as well and some really tough moments in his life. I know those. At the end of the day, we’re human beings, and we have emotions. I saw him hurting, and I wanted to protect him."
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The following day, the Chicago White Sox X account sent out a message in support of Marte, writing, "We’re with you" and "Baseball is family." On The Rich Eisen Show, the show's host addressed the need to eradicate this kind of toxic athlete-fan interaction: "I was hearing [people saying], 'There’s no place for this in major league baseball.' There isn’t. There’s no place for this in our society. I understand that people are saying the MLB has got to do something about this. Fans have a right to heckle players—this is something that has happened forever…But there is a line."
In another recent, depressing sports moment with a beautiful coda, let’s look to Game 7 of the NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the eventual champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. During the first quarter, Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton tore his right Achilles tendon—a devastating injury that could potentially sideline him for most of the 2025-2026 season. Following the game, in a lovely display of sportsmanship, Thunder point-guard and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went to the Pacers locker room to check on his competitor. In a press conference, he said, "You just hate to see it, in sports in general. But in this moment, my heart dropped for him. I can't imagine playing the biggest game of my life and something like that happening. It’s so unfortunate."
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