St. Paul hero receives $1K award for saving kids, driver on runaway school bus

Ebro Ahmed’s heroic act took just under 15 seconds on Monday.

The 27-year-old was working at one of his family’s corner stores, Ya Bricks Snacks and Tobacco, in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood of St. Paul at the time. Business was slow so he had taken a break to kick a soccer ball outside.

That’s when he saw a school bus roll slowly by, with the driver seeming to have a medical emergency, and he jumped in to help.

The store’s surveillance video shows the bus with an open door and an extended crossing arm drive by the corner store around 3:17 p.m. Ahmed is seen immediately springing to action.

“I'm always aware of my surroundings, so if you drive around me two times, I'll notice it,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed said he’s never driven a bus before. He accidentally pulled the vehicle into reverse before putting it in neutral and pulling a parking brake. He had a student call the police. Within minutes, officers arrived.

He wasn’t sure at first it was the right call to make.

“’Am I going to get arrested?’” he said he asked himself. “You know, you jumping on a bus. I don't know if I'm like — maybe I read it wrong, and then police come and I'm on the floor. Like I was just very scared.”

The 19 students looked like middle schoolers, he said. Some walked home. Another school bus later transported the remaining students.

There were no reported injuries, St. Paul police said, and paramedics transported the driver for medical care. The driver was resting at home as of Wednesday, according to St. Paul Public Schools.

An SPPS spokesperson said the school’s mental health team checked in with students on Tuesday in case they had additional needs or wanted to talk about the incident.

Man gifted $1,000 in appreciation

To honor his bravery, media maker and philanthropist Sheletta Brundidge surprised Ahmed at the shop on Thursday morning with a costumed Superman and a giant $1,000 check.

“You could have ran inside, called 911, and let somebody else do the work, but you actually sprung into action just like a real-life superhero,” Brundidge said.

“I want to put some money in your pocket just to let you know that this community and so many other parents like me who saw that and thought about their own kids, we appreciate you,” Brundidge added.

Ahmed said he plans to use the reward to invest in his own venture tinting windows.

“I want to make it big. I'm an entrepreneur at heart, so ideas are always running through my mind. My mind's never still so, you know, I'm gonna do something,” he said.

Ahmed credits his Muslim faith for his quick action

He appreciates the outpouring of support after his story made national news. But he downplays his heroism.

“The situation is crazy, but my reaction is 1,000 percent — everybody would have done it,” he said.

Ahmed, who is originally from Eritrea but grew up in St. Paul, credits the Eritrean American youth organization Denden Sports Club and his Muslim faith for teaching him the skills to act quickly.

“In my religion, they say one life is the equivalent to the entire humanity… and if you save one person, it's equivalent as if you saved the whole world. So that's kind of what I live by and obviously, you know, that's the reason why I hopped on that bus,” he said.

Despite the newfound fame, Ahmed continues to work at his family’s corner store, where he said business has been slow in recent months.

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