When Aaron Tucker went to jail for a weapons charge, it gave him lots of time to think about his life and how he wanted to change it. The 32-year-old was in jail when his son was born, and still remembers the phone call he got from the hospital. "I heard my son crying in the background, and right then and there I was like, 'I'm changing my life,'" he said.
Tucker worked hard to turn his life around, earning a GED in prison and even tutoring other inmates. Earlier this month he was released, and moved into a halfway house in Bridgeport, Connecticut. With no job, connections or even clothes, Tucker was forced to start his life over from scratch. "I came out here with nothing, literally nothing," Tucker said. "But I knew if I worked hard things are going to come my way."
As it happened, less than a week after leaving prison Tucker has become a hero to his community for an act of sacrifice that took everyone but himself by surprise. Tucker was taking the bus to a job interview last week, wearing a shirt he borrowed from another man living in the same halfway house.
On the way to the interview Tucker spotted a driver lose control of his car, hitting a tree and flipping his vehicle over. He asked if the bus driver would stop to help, and he said "no, but if you get out I'm going to leave."
Tucker had to choose between a job interview that could help him make ends meet, or rescuing the driver. He didn't hesitate for a second.
The car's engine was smoking when Tucker ran over to rescue the driver. He could see the man was hurt badly, and had to unbuckle his seat belt to drag him out. Tucker pulled the man to safety then comforted him, saying "you're going to be all right, your family wants to see you. Keep your eyes open."
He even took the borrowed dress shirt off his back and wrapped it around a wound on the man's head. Tucker stayed with the victim until the ambulance arrived, and by then he had officially missed his job interview.
Tucker's community calls him a hero, but he just says that "someone needed my help, and that's what I did. I helped them." Despite his modesty, in just a few days locals have raised more than $50,000 on GoFundMe to thank Tucker for everything he did.
He's also received job opportunities, food and clothing donations, and even a tailored suit to help with his job hunt. Tucker says that any money he receives will be used to help support his son, including starting a college fund for him.
"I've been given a lot of job offers," Tucker said. "Right now, I don't have the money, so I want to get the best job I can to support my son." Once again, it seems like Tucker is always thinking about how he can help someone else.
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