A quick-thinking bystander in Minnesota says TV medical drama Grey’s Anatomy helped prepare him to jump into action Monday when confronted with a runaway school bus carrying close to 20 children. Surveillance video shows 27-year-old Ebro Ahmed sprinting toward a moving school bus in St. Paul after he spotted its door hanging open and saw the driver having what he described as a possible seizure, ABC News reports. Ahmed says he jumped aboard, yanked the emergency brake, called for help, then helped calm the nearly 20 children inside as some screamed.
“Even if I were to die, it would still be worth it,” Ahmed, who works at a nearby store, tells ABC, noting that Grey’s Anatomy gave him “tips and tricks” for staying composed in “situations that you never could see yourself in.” He tells CBS News he was initially startled to see a school bus driving with its lights flashing, which usually only happens when a bus is at a complete stop. He adds he initially put the bus in reverse by mistake before finding the brake. “I just knew to be calm and just think everything through,” he says. The school district confirmed the driver suffered a medical issue and that no one was hurt; students were transferred to another bus and later offered counseling.