The next time you tell your kids to stop wasting time on their phone, consider the case of Pittsburgh boy Gabe Rongier.
The 12-year-old is being celebrated for his caring attitude and quick thinking, after saving the life of a friend in another state.
Rongier used the app Snapchat to keep in touch with a friend from Texas he had met online. When she posted that she "wouldn't be here tomorrow," Rongier immediately knew something was wrong.
While he couldn't figure out how to warn police in Texas about the girl's threats, Rongier called a suicide hotline who put him in touch with the authorities.
The next day, police went to the girl's house and found she was alive and well, but told Rongier his concerns were "real."
Investigators from the town of Grand Saline told Rongier's parents that his thoughtful act may have saved the girl from making a deadly decision.
"I feel relieved that she's OK," Rongier said about the news. "I feel like I did something good."
Rongier's mother, Lori, said she was "very proud" of her "little hero."
She told CBS Pittsburgh that she hopes "other young people his age might see the story and also be inspired to also take action to help somebody in need just like Gabe did."
Congratulations to my little hero Gabe who called the Grand Saline Texas Police because someone he met on Snapchat was having a very rough time and he saved her life!
Posted by Fred Rongier on Monday, March 4, 2019
Her husband, Frank, said he was "shocked" to learn his son's concerns turned out to be right. "I didn't believe it at first, but I had to believe it. It's really true."
Kindness comes naturally to Rongier, a Boy Scout who hopes to become a SWAT officer when he grows up. But Grand Saline police thanked him with a letter, special coin, and a patch to show their appreciation.
[H/T: CBS Pittsburgh]
