This man helped save a kidnapped teen, then gave her his reward money

A Minnesota man is being praised online after he helped a kidnapped teenage girl find safety — and then gave her his reward money.

On Sept. 5, Earl Melchert stopped by his home momentarily to pick up something he’d forgotten.

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That’s when the 65-year-old spotted a figure moving in the distance. It turned out to be Jasmine Block, a 15-year-old teenager desperately trying to flee a kidnapping.

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“I thought at first it was a deer,” Melchert told The New York  Times, saying he soon realized it was Block. “I went, ‘Oh my gosh, this is the gal from Alexandria that’s been gone for 29 days.'”

Photos of Block had appeared on TV, posters and national newscasts since she disappeared in August. The teen was abducted by a family friend, who is now in custody, after he lured her away saying he needed help with a “family situation.”

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Block was kept in several homes during her 29-day kidnapping, and repeatedly sexually and physically assaulted by three men. On Sept. 5, her abductors had left to get food and she managed to escape.

The girl later explained that she ran through fields and swam across part of a lake before she ended up at Melchert’s home, who immediately called 911.

In a Facebook post, Alexandria Police Department applauded Melchert for helping save the girl’s life, describing him as “the man who made the call everyone was waiting for.”

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The police department presented Melchert with a $7,000 reward — $2,000 from the Block family and $5,000 from an anonymous donation — Friday, but he squarely refused.

He said Block should get the money, instead.

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“The family needs the money,” he told the Times.

“To me, yeah, that’s a lot of money, but they need it way worse than I do.”

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The police department explained Melchert’s reasoning for not accepting the money: “He believes that young lady that came running towards him that September day is the real hero and without hesitation, Earl handed the reward over to her, followed by a big hug.”