Police say they found the local hero who is credited with saving several lives and two dogs after he broke into a Buffalo-area school on December 23 to seek shelter from last week’s deadly winter storm in Western, NY.
The Cheektowaga Police Department said Thursday it had identified “Merry Christmas Jay,” who broke a window Friday night to bring more than 20 people to Pine Hill School as a winter storm raged. It’s Jay Withey, 27, a mechanic from Kenmore, New York.
“We identified the amazing Jay with the help of his friends and family!” the police department said on Facebook. “Our Chief was able to speak to him and express our gratitude for his heroic actions.”
Withey was recognized for his selfless actions during the storm, helping several people who were out of fuel and stuck in the blizzard.
BUFFALO WINTER STORM: POLICE SEARCH FOR HERO CHARMED FOR SAVING MULTIPLE LIVES
Jay Withey, 27, is pictured center, surrounded by some of the people he helped find shelter from the deadly winter storm in western New York last weekend.
(Cheektowaga Police Department)
“I had to do it to stay alive,” Withey told WBEN radio on Thursday.
He explained that his truck got stuck on the road and he was unable to find refuge in the city.
“I walked to the houses to see if I could find shelter, any house that had lights on. He had $500 that he was offering to sleep on his floor,” Withey said. Unfortunately, no one allowed her to stay at his house.
He spent most of the night sleeping in his vehicle with two strangers, running the engine to keep warm. By Christmas Eve morning, the truck was running out of fuel and they had to find better shelter.
DEATH TOLL IN WESTERN NY CONTINUES TO RISE AS WINTER STORM ADVANCES
Police thanked Jay Withey, 27, who stormed into a Buffalo-area school to save several people during last week’s brutal winter storm.
(Cheektowaga Police Department).
Withey left a note explaining why he broke into the school and signed it, “Merry Christmas, Jay.”
(Cheektowaga Police Department).
The school was close to where Withey got stuck. “He knew there would be electricity, there would be heat in there and he guaranteed there would be food in there,” he told the station.
After Withey broke into the school, he went back outside and braved the elements to round up others who were stranded in the storm. In all, she helped another 24 people into the Pine Hill School, where they found shelter, food and were able to use the bathroom.
Withey left a note inside the school explaining why he had to go inside.
“I’m so sorry I broke the school window [and] for breaking into the kitchen,” the note reads.
DEATH TOLL IN WESTERN NY CONTINUES TO RISE AS WINTER STORM ADVANCES
An abandoned car sits on a street in the Elmwood Village neighborhood of Buffalo, New York, on December 26.
(AP/Craig Ruttle)
The Rook is used to move cars that block snowy streets in Buffalo, New York.
(New York State Police/WEATHER TRAKER/TMX)
“I got stuck at 8pm on Friday and slept in my truck with two strangers. I was just trying not to die. There were 7 elderly people also stuck and out of fuel. I had to do it to save everyone and get them shelter, food and a bathroom Withey wrote.
A key keeper at the school had received an alarm about a burglary Friday night, but police were unable to respond immediately due to deteriorating weather.
When an officer finally arrived at the school later that weekend, he found the “Merry Christmas, Jay” note.
Cheektowaga police reviewed surveillance footage from inside the school and said they “witnessed people caring for other people.”
“There was a freezer full of food, but no one touched it. They only ate what was necessary to stay alive. They used the gym for the kids to play and took the smart boards out of the classrooms to check the news for updates.” said the Cheektowaga Police Department.
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“They had 2 dogs that they were tending to as well. When they were finally able to leave safely, you would never have known someone was there.”
At least 39 people died from the winter storm that hit Buffalo on Friday and Saturday.
Withey, who is being hailed as a hero, told WBEN that he now believes “everything happens for a reason” because if he had found shelter elsewhere that Friday night, the people he rescued could have died in the storm. .
Fox News’ Paul Best contributed to this report.
