Heroic act earns man overwhelming support

JOHOR BARU: A man who was hailed as a hero for courageously jumping into a drain to rescue a stranger recently has thanked the public for their kind words.

Choo Ngiam Choong (pic), 50, said he did not expect his “spur-of-the-moment” act to garner such overwhelming support from Malaysians.

“The reaction from the public was beyond my expectations. I certainly had not expected to see the video of me saving the woman go viral on social media.

“I was merely doing my duty as a fellow human being, and I believe there are others who would have done the same if they were at the scene.

“In fact, I was not the only one helping the woman. My friends and some passers-by, too, helped to make sure she was okay,” he told The Star in an interview.

Choo, a contractor, said his phone rang off the hook for days after the incident went viral.

“I received calls and messages from friends and family members who told me they were proud of me. I was also contacted by people I do not know who just wanted to give me a thumbs up for my action,” he said.

“Many also praised me and gave kind words of encouragement on social media. It’s all very touching and overwhelming. I am thankful for and humbled by those kind words,” he added.

Choo, a bachelor, said while he does not see himself as a hero, he hopes his act will inspire others to help those around them, including strangers, in their own ways.

“I think that is the most important message. People do not have to take a risk as big as I have taken to help others. There are so many other ways we can do that.

“The important thing is to be sincere and do things from the heart,” said Choo, who also received an award from the Johor police for his heroic act.

Earlier this month, a video of Choo jumping into a drain to rescue a woman made the rounds on social media.

The video shows a car being carried away by the current, with a woman clinging to the back of the partially submerged vehicle.

During the Jan 7 incident in Kota Tinggi, Choo was on his way to have breakfast with his friends when they came across the car that had been swept into the drain.