It was a morning commute few will ever forget. Jeffrey Ribeiro was one of dozens of witnesses standing on the Dundas subway station platform Wednesday morning who saw a man go onto the tracks, and that’s when a quick-thinking Toronto Transit Commission employee jumped into action.
“He just kept on saying, ‘Don’t let go, keep on holding onto me.’ There was a point where he said, ‘Look me in the eyes, breathe in, breathe out. Calm down,” Ribeiro told Global News.
J.P. Attard, a 23-year veteran at the TTC, is being praised for de-escalating a dire situation. He was working as a station collector at what’s called a crash gate, when he noticed the visibly agitated man whisk by.
“He reached out to the janitor to go cut the power and that’s the biggest part of training,” Ellen Stassen, TTC group station manager, said.
“The customer was actually sitting on the track bed, so (Attard) immediately got him to stand up and walk towards him. He took his training and went above and beyond.”
Both Attard and the janitor will be receiving a commendation for their heroic efforts. Attard was also acknowledged by Mayor John Tory at city council Thursday.
“He helped someone at what was clearly one of their lowest points,” Tory said.
Cellphone video taken by Ribeiro shows the TTC employee pulling out his cellphone and taking photos of the distressed man. A smile appeared on the stranger’s face as he held up his fingers in a peace sign while his other hand firmly placed on Attard’s leg. The degree of empathy displayed shook onlookers to the core.
“He had him say, ‘I am strong’ more or less five to seven times and then he turned behind to where we were all standing and he’s like, ‘Everybody join in, let’s show him some support,” Ribeiro said.
“It was like the city was behind him. We all began chanting, ‘I am strong, I am strong’ for several minutes. When the guy came up, (Attard) gave him a hug. Everyone started clapping, standing ovation. It restored my faith in humanity. He’s a hero.”