Jay Withey stepped up, saving the lives of 24 people during a snowstorm in Buffalo on Christmas Eve, and the Bills rewarded his brave act with a Super Bowl special thanks.
The holiday weekend was brutal for the Buffalo region as a blizzard claimed 37 lives in Erie County. Of those deaths, 4 were found dead inside their vehicles and eight outside. Had it not been for Withey’s actions, the death toll could have nearly doubled.
To thank him, the Bills and Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield commissioned team legend Thurman Thomas and his wife Patti to surprise Withey with two tickets to this 12 months’s Super Bowl in Arizona.
“We love you, we all know what you probably did on Christmas Eve was very heroic and you might be our hero,” Thomas said through the presentation.
Withey spent the night in his truck due to the blizzard. In an attempt to save lots of himself and two strangers, he abandoned his vehicle and broke a window to get to highschool, hoping to maintain warm and stay alive. The school had heating, food and bathrooms.
Inside, Withey caught as many individuals as possible stuck of their cars. In total, he managed to assemble 24 people, including seven elderly people, and get them inside.
He saved them from the cold and brutal winds. The character also left a note in school where Cheektowg’s police nicknamed him “Merry Christmas Jay”.
“I am unable to imagine the coverage I got,” Withey said after receiving the tickets. “I got thanks letters from Australia. I am unable to imagine how far this has come. It was wild.
The only thing that might improve this gripping story is the Bills reaching the Super Bowl for the primary time since 1994.