In May of 2021, Firefighter III Aaron King, his wife, and small child were driving home from a family dinner gathering. As they exited the 101 Freeway, merely blocks from their new house, they encountered a frantic woman on the off-ramp overpass.
The woman flagged down King’s car and frantically explained that her young daughter was threatening to end her own life. She motioned to the fence and guard rail overlooking the highway below. The daughter had climbed over the fence and appeared ready to jump.
Without hesitation, King sprang into action. He scaled the seven-foot fence and doubled over just in time to grasp the young woman as she flung herself from the ledge.
King’s father-in-law and teen brother-in-law had been driving just ahead. When they saw King go over the fence, they also proceeded to act. They held his legs as King struggled to keep his grip and prevent the girl from falling onto the freeway. As traffic sped along beneath them, the young lady fought violently to free herself from King’s grip.
In the moments that followed, King pleaded with the girl to stop resisting. Firefighter King persevered, holding strong until local firefighters and police arrived on the scene. King is receiving the 2021 Medal of Valor for his courageous and compassionate off-duty actions to prevent a stranger’s suicide attempt at extreme personal risk to himself.
