'It was almost like a missile': Good Samaritans rush to save Florida woman from alligator — but a devastating price was paid

A Florida woman lost her arm from a gruesome alligator attack, but Good Samaritans may have helped save her life, according to multiple reports.

WKMG, citing the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, reported that a woman was attacked by a massive alligator while swimming and paddleboarding in the Silver River in Marion County on Aug. 8.

'It was a terrible injury, bones poking out, blood everywhere.'

Fox News reported that the gator bit the woman's right arm and dragged her under water.

According to WOFL-TV, Mike Head said he was out on the river with his wife and children when he heard two women screaming, "Gator!"

Head recalled that the alligator was likely 20-30 feet away.

Head said of the alligator, "It was almost like a missile, and it would just kind of ... I could just see the back of it."

"And I could see it going over to her. I was in this kind of like, 'This can't be happening,'" Head said.

Head said he thought to himself, "'Is she dead? Do I dive in, and now I'm going to get ripped apart myself?' There's a lot of things going through my head, trying to figure out what I was doing as I was paddling on this thing towards her."

Head decided to try to use a paddle as a weapon to deter the animal from attacking the victim, identified as 58-year-old Dina Spann by the New York Post.

He told WOFL that the alligator's jaws were locked on Spann's arm.

"I couldn't swing because I knew I was going to hit her in the head from my position, so I come around the other side. ... And then I swing, because I can see it still, and I don't know if I hit it or not," Head explained. "I just know that it was gone after I hit."

WOFL-TV reported that John Gamache and his father were on their boat when they heard frantic cries for help, so they drove full speed toward the swimmers.

"By the time he arrived, the alligator had released the victim, and the commotion of the boat helped scare the reptile away," WOFL reported.

The gator caused a severe injury to the victim's arm that needed immediate medical treatment.

Spann's son, Zach Guerrina, who accompanied her on the trip, told the New York Post that his mother was "just as calm as a f**king cucumber" throughout the harrowing ordeal.

Guerrina said of his mom, "It was a crazy situation, and she was the calmest one there, with her arm hanging off by a f**king thread.”

Head said he used a rope as a makeshift tourniquet to control the bleeding.

Gamache recalled, "It was a terrible injury, bones poking out, blood everywhere. Obviously, the minutes mattered."

Good Samaritans pulled the injured woman from the river and brought her to shore. She was then transported to a hospital for treatment.

However, the woman had to have her right arm amputated, WOFL reported.

The woman's family confirmed to WOFL on Sunday that Spann had been discharged from the hospital and is now resting at home.

Officers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a contracted Nuisance Alligator Trapper located and trapped a 9'8" alligator on Sunday. Authorities said the area was temporarily closed following the attack and reopened after the alligator was removed.

Spann's family thanked Gamache for saving the woman.

"They called earlier, and we talked for a while, and it was heartwarming to hear them explain their emotions," Gamache said. "We're glad that it happened as good as it could have. Like the result is just the sustained injury and nothing more."

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Good Samaritan saved the life of mom who lost both legs in 'catastrophic' boating accident, police say

The mother of three children is recovering from a "catastrophic" boating accident where only a "miracle" saved her life, according to Idaho police.

The unidentified woman was tubing and enjoying the day at Bear Lake when she was sucked into the propellers of a boat and her legs were severed.

'She just looked at me, and she just said, 'Go get your tourniquet.''

Dan Taylor recalled to KSL-TV that he was just getting to the lake with his family when he heard the commotion from the tragic accident.

"Everybody was out on the bow shouting, 'Help, help, please help,'" Taylor said. "Somebody on the boat said, 'Get the kids out of here.'"

Taylor said his wife was closer to the boat and surmised the direness of the situation before he could.

"She told me to get my paddleboard up to the side of the boat to use as a gurney," he said. "She just looked at me, and she just said, 'Go get your tourniquet.'"

He said both the woman's legs were missing, and he and his family members immediately applied a tourniquet to one leg, then used a strap on the other leg. It took medics between 10 and 15 minutes to arrive to the scene.

"The victim was so courageous, and she was conscious through the whole thing," he added. "Her spirit of just staying in the moment and staying calm was nothing I ever could have conceived in a situation like that."

Taylor said he had a tourniquet in his van in case of emergencies, and the topic had come up just a few weeks prior at a mountain biking first-aid class.

He remembers praying for the woman until an ambulance and helicopter arrived.

"An hour in that situation just felt like an eternity," he said. "With bleeding that severe, minutes can be something that ends somebody's life."

The Bear Lake County Sheriff's Office praised Taylor in a post on its Facebook page.

"These actions ultimately saved her life," police said.

Taylor says he is grateful that he was at the right place to help the woman.

"I know the term 'miracle' gets thrown around a lot, but it was absolutely miraculous to think about, of all the places that they could have been," he said, "and how many people in that whole beach and how many of them have a tourniquet, and of those people, how many of those people had a first-aid training and it was front of mind three weeks ago?"

A GoFundMe account was set up for the woman, who was described as a "devoted wife, loving mother of three, and cherished friend." The police department confirmed that the funds would go to the woman involved.

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Machete-wielding male drags woman down Texas street, goes after man who told him to stop — but Good Samaritan also has a gun

A machete-wielding male who dragged a woman down a Texas street Sunday night went after a man who told him to stop — but the Good Samaritan also had a gun on hand.

Fort Worth Police said officers were called to the 2900 block of Ross Avenue around 10:20 p.m. regarding a male with a weapon, KXAS-TV reported.

'If you see a lady that's in danger, I mean, what would you do in that situation?'

When officers arrived, they found a male with an apparent gunshot wound, the station said, adding that officers and Fort Worth firefighters provided medical care before the wounded male was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

Witnesses told investigators that before the shooting, the male in question had been involved in a verbal argument with a woman that turned physical — specifically, he was "dragging the female down the street with a machete in his hand," KXAS reported.

A neighbor who heard the woman screaming came outside and saw the male dragging the woman and told him to stop, the station said.

Police were told the male with the machete approached the man confronting him, KXAS said, adding that the intervening man shot the machete-wielding male at least once.

Police said witnesses called 911, the station said.

The man who shot the machete-wielding male remained at the scene and cooperated with investigators, KXAS reported, adding that homicide detectives interviewed him.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the man's identity, as well as the official cause and manner of death, the station said.

Officials did not say if the woman had been injured, KXAS said.

No arrests have been made in the case, the station added.

Nicole Flores told KXAS that the male with the machete has caused issues in the neighborhood before.

KXAS interviewed another witness who said, "If you see a lady that's in danger, I mean, what would you do in that situation?"

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Leftists Invoking Jesus To Mutilate Kids And Defend Rapists Heap Judgment On Themselves

Democrats are allergic to context, which is why they repeatedly offer microwaved interpretations of passages from a book they actually hate.

'Sit your a** down': Crazy video shows hulking 'linebacker' stifling unruly passenger hurling slurs, later waving skateboard

Breeze Airways Flight MX704 took off from Norfolk, Virginia, and was bound for Los Angeles International Airport at 9:04 a.m. Wednesday, according to FlightAware.

However, an unruly passenger — later identified as 46-year-old David Leroy Carter of Los Angeles — allegedly had an altercation with other passengers and flight attendants.

'He just got up and sat him down in the seat like a little kid.'

The Grand Junction Police Department said in a statement, "Officers learned that an intoxicated male passenger became agitated, yelling racist slurs at airline staff while waving a skateboard."

"Just F-bombs and N-bombs," a passenger told KNBC-TV.

Video shared on TikTok shows a flight attendant attempting to restrain the unruly passenger, but he resisted.

“That’s the last thing you’re going to do to me,” he's heard telling the flight crew member.

The flight attendant then asked other passengers to help her restrain Carter.

Seconds later, a large man easily picks up Carter and plants him in a seat.

“Sit your ass down,” the man orders Carter.

A passenger described the hulking good Samaritan as a "linebacker dude."

Another passenger told KGO-TV, "He just got up and sat him down in the seat like a little kid."

The good Samaritan – only identified as Ray – told the news outlet, "My son was on there, and there were other kids on there, and so I just had to sit him down."

Ray added KNBC, "Instinct just took over. I didn't know it was going to get all like this. It was just instinct."

KNBC reported that Ray — who stands 6'6'' — "played tight end and defensive end on the Jordan High School football team in Watts."

Law enforcement stated, "Airline staff placed the man in restraints twice, but he was able to break free both times."

Air traffic control audio revealed that a pilot said the man removed restraining belts and attempted to use them as weapons.

"Yeah, the unruly passenger is free, out of his restraints," the pilot said. "He's removed his belt, trying to hit people."

Breeze Airways told Blaze News that the plane had to be diverted because "a male passenger became physically and verbally threatening to the crew and other guests."

The plane had to make an emergency landing at the Grand Junction Airport in Colorado around 11:33 a.m.

"The plane was met promptly by local law enforcement officers, who restrained and removed the passenger from the aircraft," Breeze Airways stated.

Officers with the Grand Junction Police Department responded to the Grand Junction Airport. Police boarded the plane, and one officer is heard on video saying, "Hey, drop the skateboard!"

Video shows passengers applauding as police haul Carter off the aircraft in handcuffs.

Officers took Carter into custody at the direction of the FBI and transported him to the Mesa County Detention Facility.

The Grand Junction Police Department noted that the suspect did not physically assault anyone, and no major injuries were reported.

Breeze Airways told NBC News, "One flight attendant and one guest were evaluated for minor injuries."

The plane's passengers didn't land at LAX until six hours after the flight was scheduled to arrive.

Police stated an investigation is ongoing. The FBI said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Colorado will provide charges, NBC News reported, although it’s unclear what those charges will be.

The FBI on Thursday afternoon didn't immediately respond to Blaze News' request for comment.

According to Federal Aviation Administration data, there have been 1,007 reports of unruly passengers so far this year.

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Carjacker abandons infant on sidewalk — but Good Samaritan having a frustrating day ends up in the perfect spot to help

A real-life nightmare took place July 3 in Chicago when authorities said a 15-time convicted felon named Jeremy Ochoa carjacked an SUV, allegedly dragged the female motorist, and drove off with the victim's 7-month-old daughter still strapped inside the vehicle, CWB Chicago reported.

Jeremy Ochoa. Image source: Chicago Police Department

Police tracked the stolen 2011 GMC Acadia using license plate reader alerts and pings from a cell phone that had been left inside the vehicle, the outlet said, adding that cops eventually found the SUV several miles southeast of the scene of the carjacking. But the vehicle was unoccupied.

'I just kept praying.'

So where was the baby?

That same day, Earl Abernathy was sitting in traffic on his way to work, WBBM-TV said. Plus, he was dealing with non-operational air conditioning in his car as temperatures hit the 90s — so he was forced to keep his windows down, WBBM said.

Amid those frustrations, along with getting an earful of all the street noise amid Chicago's unforgiving summer heat, an unnerving sound caught Abernathy's ear.

It was a baby crying.

Abernathy told WBBM he put his hazard lights on, got out of his vehicle, and ran over to the infant, who was all alone in a car seat.

Prosecutors told CWB Chicago that the baby was found "abandoned on the sidewalk."

Police said Ochoa — the accused carjacker — had gotten rid of the baby who had been strapped in the stolen SUV and left her in front of St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in the 800 block of West Roosevelt Road, which is about four miles from the BP gas station where the carjacking went down, WBBM noted.

After coming to the infant's rescue, Abernathy called 911 and even went on Facebook Live to see if anyone could identify her, WBBM said.

"I just feel like that's what a normal person would do," Abernathy added to WBBM. "I just felt like it was just a bogus situation. Everybody I saw was riding past."

As you might expect, the little girl's family was heavy on the hunt for her.

"We were panicking. We panicked," the baby's grandmother, Karen Fuller, later told WBBM. "We didn't know, and I just kept praying."

Fuller added to WBBM that she's grateful that Abernathy got out of his car to help her 7-month-old granddaughter, who was soon reunited with family, was unharmed, and has been doing well.

"I was so happy," Fuller noted to WBBM. "I went to his page, and I thanked him so many times."

Abernathy told WBBM he wouldn't hesitate to do it all over again: "Of course, any time. It could have ended differently. I'm just glad it ended the way it ended."

As for Ochoa, CWB Chicago said he was arrested just before noon — less than two hours after the carjacking — and was charged with aggravated vehicular hijacking of a vehicle with a passenger under 16 and aggravated kidnapping of a child. Cook County Jail information accessed Friday morning indicates the 39-year-old's next court date is July 29.

Observers very well may say Abernathy — the Good Samaritan in this otherwise nightmarish situation — may not have been able to help in the place and time he did had he not been stuck in traffic and forced to endure blistering heat with his windows down, given his lack of A/C. Indeed, it might be said that his frustrating circumstances seem to have come together to allow a heroic outcome — in front of a church, no less.

Steve Deace — BlazeTV host of the “Steve Deace Show” and a columnist for Blaze News — had the following to say about the turn of events.

"This heroic story is like a metaphor for the era — and what it is lacking," Deace told Blaze News. "An actual man took action that saved innocent life, and he was compelled to by inconvenience. We have too few men, too many conveniences."

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Restore biblical justice: Correcting the misleading narrative on foreign aid

Recent discussions surrounding cuts to USAID have prompted an essential question for Christians and citizens alike: What is the proper role of government in distributing aid abroad?

International assistance from the United States government to impoverished nations is often portrayed as an act of justice, such that a failure to administer aid is a failure of America to be a shining city on a hill or a beacon of justice. However, as Christians committed to a biblical understanding of justice and mercy, we must carefully evaluate this premise.

There is nothing unjust about a nation prioritizing its citizens.

International aid is an act of compassion, not justice. The distinction is critical. Justice, by definition, involves giving people what they are owed. Biblically speaking, justice is about fairness, lawfulness, and righteousness in accordance with God’s moral order. It is primarily about righting wrongs, ensuring fair treatment, and maintaining the moral and contractual obligations between individuals and institutions. Mercy, on the other hand, goes beyond what is owed — it is kindness given freely, not something demanded as a right.

For a government, justice is first and foremost about securing the welfare and protection of its own people. Romans 13:1-7 makes clear that government is instituted by God to be a servant for the good of its own citizens, not a global benefactor. When governments use taxpayer dollars to assist foreign nations, they do so out of generosity, not necessity. This does not mean that such aid is inherently wrong or unwise, but it does mean that we must understand it properly. It is also quite possible that the issuing of this aid could serve national and strategic interests. That’s fine, if so, but unless the nation administering aid is rectifying a previous injustice against the nation it is giving aid to, that does not make it a matter of justice.

A government’s first duty is to its own people. The U.S. government derives its authority from the Constitution and the consent of the governed. It exists to serve and protect American citizens. This obligation is a matter of justice. If a government neglects the needs of its own people — whether in infrastructure, defense, economic stability, or domestic welfare — in favor of prioritizing aid to other nations, it fails in its primary duty.

We must be wary of any policy that frames international generosity as a more pressing obligation than the government’s duty to its own citizens.

This does not mean that America should be indifferent to global suffering. On the contrary, Christian compassion calls individuals, churches, and private organizations to respond generously to the needs of the world. The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) was not a government agent; he was an individual moved by compassion. In the New Testament, the early church took up collections for suffering Christians in other cities, but this was an act of voluntary charity, not a state-mandated policy.

There is a difference between personal and institutional responsibility.

At the same time, governments may find prudential reasons to engage in international aid. It may serve diplomatic or strategic interests, create goodwill, or prevent crises that could later threaten national security. These are valid considerations, but they fall under the realm of prudence, not justice. If aid is extended, it should be done with wisdom, ensuring that it does not foster corruption, dependency, or unintended consequences that worsen the plight of those it seeks to help. Moreover, it should never take precedence over the pressing needs of the nation’s own citizens.

Thus, as we consider international aid policies, we must keep our priorities clear. Christians should advocate for a government that fulfills its biblical role — protecting its own people first while encouraging generosity in ways that do not undermine its primary obligations.

There is nothing unjust about a nation prioritizing its citizens. In fact, failing to do so would be an injustice.

The right way forward is to separate justice from mercy and to ensure that our government does the same. When the government fulfills its just duties, the people — individually and collectively — are then in a better position to extend mercy to the world.

Understanding this distinction is essential as we evaluate aid policies and advocate for a government that operates with biblical clarity and wisdom.

Guatemalan national fights state trooper who stopped him for driving 114 mph; his blood-alcohol level is twice legal limit

A Guatemalan national was caught on dashcam video fighting an Arkansas state trooper who pulled him over for driving 114 miles per hour on an interstate highway. What's more, the motorist's blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit.

Arkansas state police on Wednesday released the dashcam video from the July 27 traffic stop in Rogers; you can view it here.

'I thank God that he gave Alex the strength to survive that encounter, and that he put Kylie by her side when she needed support the most. I’m so proud of them both.'

Angel Zapet-Alvarado, 26, of Guatemala was traveling 114 miles per hour in heavy traffic on Interstate 49 southbound when he passed Trooper Alexandria Duncan's marked patrol unit near the 83-mile marker around 7:43 p.m., police said.

Zapet-Alvarado initially showed no signs of stopping, even after Trooper Duncan activated her emergency lights and sirens, police said.

After stopping his vehicle on the right shoulder, Duncan told Zapet-Alvarado to exit the vehicle.