Remember that iconic video from March 9 when an unknown hero with a black SUV rescued a stranded school bus from a flooded road in Dubai after torrential rains hit the UAE? The clip went viral, garnering millions of views in just a few days.
For the longest time, the identity of the Good Samaritan who drove the Toyota FJ Cruiser was unknown, despite several attempts by netizens to locate the mystery rescuer who had somehow become a symbol of hope and humanity for UAE residents. In an interesting turn of events, Toyota’s UAE franchise also launched a campaign looking for the driver of their popular off-road vehicle model – and that’s how the Dubai resident was finally found.
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This is the story of how Iranian expat Majid Fakhari discovered he had become famous overnight without even knowing it.
The rescue
As heavy rains pounded the country and a stay-home advisory kept residents home, very few people were out on the roads. Fakhari was driving through Silicon Oasis when he spotted the school bus stuck on a severely flooded road. “Cars were driving right on the sidewalk to get by,” he recalled. “The street was closed as it was completely flooded.”
Noticing that the bus had “around 10 children” in it, he jumped into action. “I immediately decided to move the bus to a different point so that everyone could get out safely.” An avid off-roader, Fakhari used techniques he learned through time spent with a local club called ‘Dune Raiders’ and hooked the bus up to his vehicle, after which he could tow it out of the waters.
Watch the viral video below:
“I waited to see if the bus would start, but the driver told me that it had broken down. He called for a mechanic and I left a few minutes later,” he said, adding that the bus driver and students thanked him profusely.
Humanity restored
Fakhari said he had no idea he was being filmed at the time. “At first, I was shocked; it was only after opening Toyota’s Instagram account that I realised some pedestrians had filmed that scene.”
Toyota has since thanked the do-gooder for his “remarkable act of bravery” and is reportedly considering offering him a comprehensive car check-up and service contract. Fakhari’s selflessness is evident in his lack of follow-up with the company since. “I didn’t do this for fame or recognition,” he said. “I just fulfilled my humanitarian and civic duties”.
His act of kindness has left quite the impact on residents, with thousands commending his gesture and comparing him to more well-known heroes. “The car is Batman. It will only come out when we need it… till then, it will always protect us from the shadows,” said one comment on one compilation video. “Superheroes don’t expose themselves; that’s why they wear capes,” said another.
Fakhari believes that the best thing to came out of this situation was that “a sense of humanity” had been reinvigorated. “I am very happy that I was able to share this act of helping people without expecting anything in return.”