Heartwarming encounters show civilians rescuing police through acts like pulling officers from gunfire, subduing dangerous suspects, assisting in ice rescues, and even bringing water, demonstrating unexpected mutual aid. These stories highlight community bonds and heroism beyond official duty.
Examples of police being rescued by strangers
- Motorist pulls officer from gunfire: In one incident, a driver recorded a shooting and then pulled a wounded officer to safety while the suspect was still firing, saving their life.
- Bouncer disarms shooter: Police arrived at a bar to find a civilian bouncer had already disarmed and detained a woman who fired a gun.
- Civilians help subdue suspect: Bystanders physically intervened to help officers restrain a violent suspect, with one citizen even getting cut in the process.
- Icy pond rescue assistance: A passerby helped an officer rescue a man who fell through ice, with the civilian going into the water to assist.
- Simple acts of kindness: A young boy brought water to a traffic officer, an action that was considered very heartwarming.
- Stuck vehicle rescue: A citizen used a bulldozer to pull a police car out of the mud.
‘Escape Artist’ Kangaroo Earns Title of ‘Most Unexpected Repeat Offender’ After Sending Cops on a Wild Chase Yet Again
Irwin the pet kangaroo was back on the streets of Durango, Colorado, on May 19 after a previous escape attempt in October 2024
By
Updated on May 22, 2025 09:33AM EDT
NEED TO KNOW
- A pet kangaroo is being called a “repeat offender” after escaping from home and trespassing twice in one year
- After escaping on May 19, Irwin the red kangaroo surrendered to authorities without much fuss and was hauled into the back of a cop car
- Red kangaroos are legal to own as pets in Colorado, along with zebras, wallabies, and sugar gliders
A pet kangaroo with a penchant for trespassing was found hopping through his neighborhood — again.
In October 2024, Irwin, a pet red kangaroo in Durango, Colorado, made headlines by leading a trail of Durango Police Department officers on a winding chase through his neighborhood after escaping from his home, per ABC affiliate Denver 7. The pursuit ended with authorities wrangling the animal and returning him to his pet parents.
Irwin’s appetite for escaping wasn’t quite quenched with this one foray into Durango’s streets and yards, so after a brief respite, he came “hopping back.”
“Guess who came hopping back…🦘Some officers respond to traffic stops. Ours? Kangaroo retrieval! Just when we thought he’d hopped off as a legend, Durango’s most unexpected escape artist made his return appearance—that’s right, our viral hopper was back on the move this week, bouncing his way through town and ending up in some neighbor’s backyard,” Durango Police wrote in a Facebook post on Monday, May 19, announcing Irwin’s unapproved return to the great outdoors.
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The police department shared a video of the repeat offender’s recent romp around his neighborhood in its social media post. In the clip, a police officer corners Irwin in a neighbor’s yard after chasing the marsupial and manages to pick up the animal. Irwin doesn’t put up a fight as the officer hauls him to a waiting police car.
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As Irwin approaches the vehicle, he whips his head around, getting a last look at his surroundings before being ushered into the back of the cop car. The police noted Irwin “definitely grew since our last encounter,” the post read.
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“Naturally, our officers responded to the call (again), safely wrangled him (again), and made sure he was in good hands—because public safety, even with paws and a pouch, is still public safety,” the post about the most recent kangaroo wrangling session continued, adding that officers didn’t expect “kangaroo roundup” to be in their job description.
“Thanks to our team for responding with care, patience, and a good sense of humor. Teamwork makes the dreamwork! To our four-legged friend: You’ve officially earned the title of Durango’s Most Unexpected Repeat Offender,” the Durango Police Department concluded the post.
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According to the state’s Parks and Wildlife department, red kangaroos are legal pets in Colorado. Other unusual mammals Colorado residents can legally own include zebras, several species of wallabies, and short-tailed possums.
Killer or convenient outsider? ‘Unexpected celebrity’ Karen Read’s trial explored in new Fox Nation series
By Taylor Penley
Published January 27, 2025
Forty-six-year-old Boston police officer John O’Keefe laid lifeless on the lawn of a colleague’s home in January 2022, dead from blunt force trauma to the head and hypothermia.
His then-girlfriend Karen Read, a former finance professional, stood accused of fatally running him over in a drunken fight before fleeing the scene — but the jury in her case, deadlocked after a 26-hour deliberation, wasn’t convinced.
“I tried to save his life at six in the morning. I was covered in his blood. I was the only one trying to save his life,” Read told a group of reporters at the time.
She had become an “unexpected celebrity,” of sorts, PopCrime TV host Lauren Conlin said, offering her perspective in Fox Nation’s latest true-crime deep dive, “Karen Read: Killer or Convenient Outsider?”
Crowds hoisted up signs demanding she be set free, proclaiming her innocence. The widespread defense of someone accused of murder, Conlin added, was unexpected.
KAREN READ MISTRIAL PUTS COPS IN TOUGH SPOT, OPENS DOOR FOR ACCUSED KILLER OF BOYFRIEND TO WALK FREE
Karen Read, who stood accused of murdering her boyfriend John O’Keefe, sits in court. (Fox Nation)
“She’s very compelling,” former NYPD inspector Paul Mauro said. “She genuinely seems perplexed and genuinely upset.”
But was Karen Read John O’Keefe’s killer or just a convenient outsider in the case? Firsthand accounts from the people who best knew the couple – and the case – shed some light on the mystery – the twists and turns of the crime, the trial and what to expect from Read’s retrial – in the Fox Nation series hosted by Judge Jeanine Pirro.
“John and Karen appeared to have a normal relationship, but we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors,” said Conlin. The couple met at a party in the early 2000s and dated briefly, but reconnected during the COVID pandemic and their relationship quickly became serious.
As a nor’easter barreled toward the town of Canton, Massachusetts, heavy snowfall and gusting winds loomed, but the couple didn’t plan on hunkering down to wait out the storm.
O’Keefe went to a bar with some friends and Karen arrived later. They mingled with another group, left, went to another house to socialize, and the night descended into chaos that ended with O’Keefe dead in a snowbank and a mystery that divided the community.
KAREN READ CLAIMS MURDER CHARGE IN POLICE OFFICER BOYFRIEND’S DEATH IS DOUBLE JEOPARDY
Karen Read departs Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham, Massachusetts on Friday, August 9, 2024. Read, was accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend with a vehicle in January 2022. (Patriot Pics/Backgrid for Fox News Digital)
Some echo Read’s claim that the blame was pinned on her as part of a massive cover-up, including close friend, Jon Silveira.
He says Read and O’Keefe had a great relationship and the finger had been pointed at the wrong person.
“She’s just a phenomenal person, a phenomenal friend, someone you could always count on. She’s extremely hard-working. She always does much more than what would be asked,” he said.
“This is a massive cover-up, protecting powerful people, pinning it on an innocent person to destroy her life,” he said.
But Mauro isn’t convinced.
“The idea that all of these people got together to frame Karen Read just doesn’t hold water.”
Brendan Kane, a close friend of O’Keefe’s, thinks the act was intentional.
“Do I think she intended to scare him or hit him? I do,” Kane said. “She was mad. She was seeing red.”
But even after a deadlocked jury, court entanglements for Karen Read could be far from over. Within hours, the district attorney’s office declared their intention for round two.
What’s next for her? Silveira says “bring it on,” insisting Read will continue to receive support just as she did in the first case. Those in O’Keefe’s corner want another shot at a conviction, a chance for closure so his family can finally grieve.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
