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Man who stopped erratic driver in Syracuse hailed as hero

Posted at 7:24 PM, Jun 02, 2014
and last updated 2014-06-02 21:24:17-04

SYRACUSE, Utah -- Witnesses say a teen in a stolen car was going to make a run through a park in Syracuse, so a man in a big truck took matters into his own hands.

Bryson Rowley has received a lot of handshakes and hugs in the last few days, but he said he only did what needed to be done.

“I could hear the sirens coming back toward the park and getting closer. I was just going to block the road. So he couldn't come back through there. By the time I got there to block it he turned into me,” Rowley said.

The driver leading the high-speed chase was a 14-year-old boy from Sunset, who police say stole the car from his grandpa.

That head-on collision finally stopped the erratic driver, but it also left the fast-thinking father with a broken bumper and busted suspension.

Several people who saw the fox 13 news story offered to fix his truck for free.

“I wasn't preparing for any of this. I was just trying to do what was right,” Rowley said.

Rowley said he had no idea it was a 14-year-old in the vehicle he hit, but even if he had known, he said would have done the same thing.

“He had no remorse for the kids the first time, and I didn't want him to get back to the kids. My kids and me getting in trouble that's fixable. The kids aren't,” Rowley said.

Rowley said he doesn't consider himself a hero, just a guy who made the best of a bad situation.

Several people put up fundraising websites for Rowley’s truck and multiple auto body shops offered their services free of charge.