Store manager dives into oncoming traffic to save little girl
A grocery store manager jumped into oncoming traffic to protect a three-year-old girl who ran into the street outside a supermarket in Puebla, Mexico, on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026. Credit: Super King El Ray del Ahorro
A supermarket manager in Mexico is being credited with a dramatic rescue after security video showed him hurling himself onto a roadway Sunday to pull a three-year-old girl away from oncoming vehicles.
Luis Cruz, who manages the Super King El Rey del Ahorro grocery store, raced after the child as she wandered into the busy street, then grabbed her and dropped to the pavement just moments before a silver minivan passed dangerously close.
The child had bolted from the Puebla supermarket at about 2 p.m. local time after slipping free from her mother’s grasp, according to Mexican news outlet Tribuna Noticias.
Video from the scene shows a woman initially chasing the girl, but she lost her footing and fell before she could reach the child.
A woman slips and falls as a child runs into the street outside a grocery store in Puebla, Mexico, on Sept. 6, 2026. (Super King El Rey del Ahorro)
Video shows Cruz quickly tackling the girl to the ground moments before a minivan crossed the lane she would have entered had Cruz not stopped her.
As car horns honk, Cruz grabs the girl, pulling her backwards as they both tumble safely to the ground in the lane closest to the store while the mini van screeches to a halt in the middle lane.
Luis Cruz saves a little girl from being hit by a minivan in Puebla, Mexico, on Sept. 6, 2026. (Super King El Rey del Ahorro)
The grocery store, according to Tribuna Noticias, awarded Cruz with 20,000 Mexican pesos – roughly $1,184 – for his heroics.
Cruz also reportedly said he didn’t think before taking action, and that as a father himself he was driven by paternal action. He also, Tribuna Noticias reported, urged parents to keep a watchful eye on their children.
The Super King El Rey del Ahorro in Puebla, Mexico. (Google Street View)
News Media contacted Super King El Rey del Ahorro for confirmation and further comment.