Paul Murphy happened to be in the right place at the right time as he jogged around his neighborhood in Scotts Valley, Calif., last week.
When he saw smoke pouring from the garage of a house, he immediately ran up on the porch and rang the Ring doorbell [affiliate link] to alert the residents.
The Polito family who lives there weren’t home at the time — but their pets, including two Dachshunds, a cat and a rabbit — were inside the house.
Thanks to the smart doorbell, Courtney Polito was able to give Murphy the access code so he could enter her house and save her pets.
“I saw him running back and forth so, I answered it and he said, ‘Hello, do you see there’s smoke coming out of the top of your house?'” Polito told KSBW. She could hear the smoke alarms going off inside the house.
Thanks to Murphy’s brave actions, the pets and house were spared. “The fire department said 10 more minutes and the house would have been gone,” Polito said. So would have those beloved pets.
“It takes a special kind of person to go into a burning house to save animals,” Tony Polito told KSBW.
After ensuring the pets were safe, Murphy continued on his run without telling the Politos his name.
“I want to give him a hug. I’ll bring him to lunch. I’ll bring him dinner,” Courtney Polito told KSBW. “I just want to thank him so much and let him know how thankful we are. My kids, my husband — we would be devastated if we lost our pets, let alone our home.”
A few days later, the Politos were able to successfully track down their mystery hero. In addition to the promised hug and meals, Murphy may receive a recommendation from the Scotts Valley Fire Department.
Photo: KSBW Action News 8/YouTube