On May 18th in Times Square, a crazed, impaired man drove his car into a crown of people killing one teen girl and injuring 22 other people.
The man, Richard Rojas, is being charged with one count of murder and 20 counts of attempted murder. Rojas was found to have PCP, a dissociative drug, in his system.
But instead of focusing on the negative in a time like this, it often helps to find a positive aspect to remind us that not all people are awful.
That's why we all need to know the name Ken Bradix.
Bradix, a 47-year-old bouncer at the nearby Planet Hollywood, subdued the suspect immediately after the crash.
"Once I heard, "˜Get him,' I kicked into gear and then security came out," said Bradix. "I tackled him from his left side, and we both fell to the ground," Bradix explained. "There was an off-duty police officer who also helped me out, [helped me] hold him down on the ground, and one of the guys from CitySights ... The cops came seconds later."
Rojas was deemed to be a threat to everyone after the crash, acting erratically and yelling at cops to shoot him. For Bradix to risk his own life to subdue the attacker was extremely selfless.
"The guy got out of the car, running, screaming "” not any particular words "” he was just screaming and flailing his arms," Bradix said. "He was running toward me."
Bradix says he was outside when he noticed Rojas driving recklessly, and then witnessed the crash.
"I saw the guy careening down the street, up on the sidewalk," he said. "He crossed over 45th Street and crashed into the pole, the car lifted up, spun around and crashed down on the rear wheels, and the car caught fire."
The 47-year-old has been working security for over 25 years, says Times Square is normally unusual, but not like this.
"It's not normal out here. It really isn't," he said of the Times Square crowd. "So, I've gone through a couple of things "” but nothing like this."
While Bradix may have saved the lives of many people, and stopped the suspect from fleeing the scene, he wants to make one thing very clear.
"I am not a hero," Bradix said. "I was doing what I hope anyone would do."
Thank you, Ken Bradix, for not only doing what you thought was right, but for reminding all of us there are good people in the world.
