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<\/a>HOBE SOUND, Fla. \u2014<\/p>\nAn act of bravery and compassion is bringing two strangers together on the Treasure Coast.<\/p>\n
A young man rescued a woman whose car got stuck on a railroad crossing in Hobe Sound, saving her from near disaster.<\/p>\n
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25<\/a><\/p>\n Just a few days ago, Josiah Baur and Debbie Spoelstra didn\u2019t know each other, but now, they share a special connection.<\/p>\n \u201cFriday, I was leaving work, and I was heading back home. I was trying to get home for a tire appointment, funny enough, and running late for it. Train crossing went down, and I looked down on my phone, and I glimpsed up, and I saw the car stuck behind the railroad crossing,\u201d Baur said.<\/p>\n Spoelstra was still inside that car, stuck on the train tracks at Bridge Road and Dixie Highway in Hobe Sound.<\/p>\n Train incident in Hobe Sound.<\/p>\n \u201cI was in a panic. What I did is, I put my car in reverse, and apparently the gate got stuck on top of my car on the antenna. So, when I tried to reverse, it would not let me reverse. I was kind of frozen. I sat there, I saw the train,\u201d Spoelstra said.<\/p>\n Baur, realizing she was still in the car, didn\u2019t hesitate and jumped out of his car to help.<\/p>\n \u201cI threw it in park and just took off running. Try to see what side the train was on to see if it would clear her or not. But it was on her side and didn’t really want to take a chance. So, I ran across and tried to push up on the thingy to release her,\u201d Baur said.<\/p>\n That split-second decision helped to avoid what could have been a devastating crash.<\/p>\n \u201cHe came just like a hero. And lifted the gate up off of my car. And I was able to reverse and get off the tracks. And as soon as he did that, within seconds, the train passed by me. So it was very scary, you know, life-changing experience for me,\u201d Spoelstra said.<\/p>\n Follow us on social: Facebook<\/a> | X<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | YouTube<\/a> | TikTok<\/a> <\/p>\n Someone posted about Baur\u2019s heroic actions on Facebook and the post quickly went viral.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think of heroes, I think police officers and military, not what I did. It was just a good, good thing to do,\u201d Baur said.<\/p>\n The two said they\u2019ve now bonded over this unique experience, attributing it to their shared faith.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was put in one place, I was put in one place, and it was just fate. And it was a God thing, you know, and then once I told him my grandson was Josiah, and then he was just like, \u2018Oh, wow. It’s definitely a God thing.\u2019 So, I don’t know. I would just say, like I said, I’m so grateful for him,\u201d Spoelstra said.<\/p>\n \u201cGod’s got a plan. He puts us exactly where we need to be. If you’re running late for something, it’s probably for a reason. Just trust his plan,\u201d Baur said.<\/p>\n Spoelstra said she wasn\u2019t texting or distracted while driving and was simply just taken off guard by the railroad crossing arms lowering.<\/p>\n She wants to pass this message on to other drivers: always be careful and look both ways before crossing train tracks.<\/p>\n Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/4775bbbf-daad-4b08-b794-e30aa18aec02.jpg\")
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