Message five-year-old girl had for ‘hero’ bus driver who noticed something ‘not right’ when she was walking alone

A five-year-old girl who was rescued from the side of the road by a hero bus driver shared a heartfelt message as the two reunited. 

Adaline ‘Addy’ Gonzalez was seen wandering a Harlem sidewalk alone while Luis Jimenez, 60, was on his morning shift as a New York MTA bus driver in September. 

Now the pair have reunited, giving Addy an opportunity to express her gratitude to have had someone watching over her. 

She told him: ‘Thank you Luis, for being my hero and saving my life.’ 

Addy had decided to skip school so she could go to the pet store and get a new pet fish after hers had died that same day. She hadn’t told her parents where she was going but was spotted by Jimenez who felt something was off. 

Addy Gonzalez and Luis Jimenez did a happy dance together and Addy shared messages of thanks during a long-awaited chance to reunite 

The little girl had skipped school after her fish died with a plan to get to a pet store and get herself a new pet fish

‘My instinct as a father came on because if I see a kid in the street in need of help, I would want somebody to help one of my children or one of my grandkids,’ he previously said. 

He had kept his eye on Addy through his front window, before ultimately deciding to pull over, call his dispatcher and have a passenger phone 911. 

She had been reported missing by her school after not showing up to class, which she had no prior history of doing. 

Her mother, Julissa, told WABC: ‘We were totally, like, scared. We didn’t know what to think. We know, we was terrified because that’s our little girl.’  

The pair reunited with Addy’s family after Jimenez rescued her from walking the Harlem sidewalk alone

Addy got her new fish, and decided to name it after her savior and called the fish Luis 

Addy had already walked ten blocks from her school before Jimenez spotted her. 

When he got to catch up with her this week, he says he couldn’t have been happier.  

‘It made me feel so good. My heart was pumping. I couldn’t wait to meet her and her parents because something like that should be celebrated. She was able to go home,’ Jimenez told WABC. 

As a token of her appreciation, Addy decided to do something super special.  

‘I decided to name my new fish Luis. I was excited and I was happy and it was perfect,’ she said. 

The young girl’s family family also gave Jimenez a token of their appreciation and presented him with a New York Jets hat that said ‘Addy’s Hero’. 

Addy and her family gave Jimenez a New York Jets hat that read ‘Addy’s Hero’ as a token of their appreciation

Addy’s father, Cesar Gonzalez, said: ‘It’s beautiful to meet Luis. … And thank God. Thank him. You know, [because of Jimenez] she’s here with us today’

Addy’s father, Cesar Gonzalez, told WABC: ‘It’s beautiful to meet Luis. … And thank God. Thank him. You know, [because of Jimenez] she’s here with us today.’

The veteran bus driver is approaching his 26th year as an NYC transit employee, working 6am to 4pm on different routes. 

‘Driving in New York City, it’s like a perfect day. I open up that door, and it’s like the world comes to me,’  he told The Art of Doing. 

He added: ‘I love my passengers. I want to give them the best ride, the best time, the best view of the city while I get them to where they’re going.’