Middletown’s latest hero

Last week a true hero emerged in Middletown Township. Four-year-old Justin Tyler Valletta showed what he was made of when he was faced with a possible life-or-death situation.

In the late afternoon of Sept. 24, Justin’s father, Anthony, was working on a car at their Middletown residence when the carjack unexpectedly gave way and dropped the vehicle on Anthony’s chest.

Although Anthony could not breathe as a result of the weight of the car, he managed to call for Justin.

When Justin saw his father pinned under the car, he did what many adults have trouble doing, he remained calm.

As a result, Justin pushed the fallen jack to his father who was able to raise the jack a few inches under the car to allow him to breathe again.

Instead of just standing around, Justin opened the car door and hit the automatic garage door opener in the vehicle.

Once the garage door was open, Justin had the presence of mind to run to his next-door neighbor’s house for help. The neighbor called 911 and the township’s police and emergency personnel quickly arrived at the scene.

With carjacks borrowed from residents in the neighborhood, the emergency workers finally raised the vehicle enough to pull Anthony out from underneath.

Anthony sustained some injuries, including a dislocated right shoulder. He was transported to Bayshore Community Hospital, Holmdel, and released.

Anthony credits his son and said it was a miracle that he did not sustain any broken bones, despite a car weighing thousands of pounds falling on top of him.

Anthony Valletta should consider himself a lucky man in many ways. His life was spared last week, but he doesn’t have to look to overpaid athletes, overexposed entertainers, or overzealous politicians to find his hero.

All he has to do is look as far as his 4-year-old son.

Although most parents understandably want to protect their children from the harsh realities of the world, Justin’s actions last week were a perfect example of why it is important to teach children how to react to challenging situations in the most productive and safe ways.

Knowing how to react when faced with a a serious situation enabled Justin possibly to save his father’s life while teaching others to remain calm during an emergency.

Justin is a special little boy whose father will surely never forget the day he was saved by his son.