'Hero' Medic Honored After Helping Students Escape Overturned Bus That Pinned Teen: 'Right Time, Right Place'
A young New Jersey medic has been dubbed 'a hometown hero' after stopping to help children injured in a crash involving their school bus.
State police said the bus was traveling on the northbound side of the Garden State Parkway in Montvale on Monday, March 10 when the vehicle flipped, according to radio station WKXW and CBS affiliate WCBS-TV.
The school bus was transporting the Jewish students to a wedding celebration in New Square, New York when it crashed, WKXW and ABC affiliate WPVI-TV reported.
Coincidentally, an EMT had been driving behind the bus on his way home when he witnessed the crash, Montvale Mayor Mike Ghassali said in a statement.
Related: New Jersey Police Officer Hailed a Hero After Pulling 11-Year-Old Boy from Icy Lake
Matt Goldman, who works with the Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps, was among the first people to stop and help, according to ABC affiliate WABC-TV.
"I don't know if I believe in fate, but I definitely believe in right time, right place," the 22-year-old volunteer medic said.
Goldman has been with Tri-Boro Volunteer Ambulance Corps for nearly six years, 'starting his journey as a sophomore in high school at just 16 years old,' Ghassali said.
Related: 'Hero' Father Dies Saving His 15-Year-Old Son in Oklahoma Wildfires: 'An Unimaginable Loss'
The medic first helped students escape from the overturned bus before learning one teen was trapped underneath, who he helped rescue, according to the reports. More than a dozen people were injured.
A 14-year-old boy pinned underneath the overturned bus remains critically injured, the mayor said.
New Jersey State Police did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
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Related: Indiana Teen Hailed as Hero for Saving Family in House Fire
The next day, Ghassali praised Goldman for his heroics, describing him as 'a courageous young man' in a statement.
The Montvale mayor said Governor Phil Murphy also 'personally called' Goldman and shared 'how we are proud of him.'
Goldman has since received the key to the city of Montvale and several other accolades, according to Quinnipiac Today.
'I was in the right place at the right time,' Goldman explained, 'and it validates that I want to spend the rest of my life helping people.'
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