'You Saved My Life' Schaumburg Man Reunited With Good Samaritan Who Pulled Him From A Burning Car
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Only on 2
The Schaumburg man pulled from this burning car by strangers was finally reunited with one of those Good Samaritans on Friday.
It was the moment both Rich Schmuldt, and that hero had been waiting days for.
CBS 2's Meredith Barack has the touching moment and the reaction from that woman about how few people jumped in to help.
The First time Jenny Stokes and Rich Schmuldt met, it was under a tree. Rich's car was on fire and Jenny was pulling him from the flames.
On Friday, they met again. Both of them grateful that this time it was under much better circumstances.
An embrace days in the making.
"You saved my life. I still can't believe it."
The last time Jenny Stokes saw Rich Schmuldt was last Saturday, after she and another man pulled Schmuldt from a burning car.
" All the sudden I see smoke," Stokes said. "And then my son's like 'mom, I think the smoke is moving.'"
Stokes was heading to her parents house for an early Mother's Day celebration when she decided to spring into action.
"Me and the other guy looked at each other and we're like there's somebody in there," Stokes said. "The tires started popping. And we were trying to get you out, and I was waiting for the glass to start going just with how hot the heat was."
The mother of three was finally reunited with Schmuldt, his daughter and some of his grandchildren, who all wanted to thank Stokes in person for her heroism.
"You were very brave because the car could have exploded, said Schmuldt.
"I just remember running up and everybody else was just standing there and taking video," said Stokes. "And I was like, 'what are you doing? Oh my God, what are you doing?'"
Stokes couldn't have imagined doing anything but help. It's in her blood after all. She's the daughter of a retired member of the Chicago Fire Department. Her brother currently on the force.
"We're screaming for more help, and I think that's probably what has upset me the most, just looking around and everybody was videoing instead of helping," lamented Stokes.
Stokes said she was merely in the right place at the right time, with her son by her side who now should call her Supermom.
"I hope I taught him an important lesson," Stokes said. "Just that he knows to jump in and help when he can."
As for that second person who helped pull Schmuldt from the car, CBS 2 received an e-mail from the other Good Samaritan and we're working on getting him in touch with Rich and Jenny.
