Two Homeless Men Become Heroes After Manchester Arena Bombing

During the aftermath of the horrid terror attack at a concert in England that took the lives of 22 people, two homeless men provided aid to victims of the tragedy.

On Monday, Chris Parker, 33, and Stephen Jones, 35, were panhandling near the Manchester Arena when the bomb went off. The force from the explosion knocked the men to the ground. Rather than fleeing for safety, they provided help to those injured.

“I just felt the wind force, and then everyone started screaming and running,” Jones said. “Me and my mate we got up and we started running. We realized what had happened, we run back, and all the women and children were coming out with blood.”

Parker comforted a little girl who had lost her legs and wrapped her in a T-shirt.

“I wrapped her in one of the merchandise T-shirts, and I said, ‘Where is your mum and daddy?’ She said, ‘My dad is at work, my mum is up there,’” Parker told the news agency Press Association.

He also ran to the aid of an older woman with head and leg injuries, who later died in his arms.

“She was in her 60s, and she had been with her family,” he told the Press Association. “I haven’t stopped crying. The most shocking part of it is that it was a kids’ concert.”

Jones said he pulled nails from victims’ arms and faces.

“Just because I am homeless doesn’t mean I haven’t got a heart, or I’m not human still,” Jones told ITV News. “I’d like to think someone would come and help me if I needed the help.”

He claimed he became overwhelmed by an “instinct” to help others.

“It was children, a lot of children with blood all over them, crying and screaming,” he said. “If I didn’t help, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself for walking away and leaving kids like that.”

The homeless men are now being recognized on social media as heroes due to their selfless actions. An online fund-raising page set up for Parker raised over 40,000 pounds, or $50,000, by Wednesday evening. Another fund was listed on the JustGiving site for Jones, which has also raised 40,000 pounds so far.

Parker’s estranged mother, who was unaware of his homelessness, reached out on the fund-raising web page after hearing about his courageous efforts.

“This is my son and I am desperate to get in touch with him,” she wrote. “We have been estranged for a very long time, and I had no idea he was homeless. I am very proud of him, and I think he might need me right now.”

On Tuesday, David Sullivan, joint-chairman of English Premier League club West Ham United, told the BBC he would like to extend a helping hand to Jones, as he was “hugely impressed by the bravery shown by Steve.”

“It looks like he needs some help, so we are desperate to find who he is and give him six months free accommodation and a little bit of money to help him on his way,” Sullivan told BBC Radio 5 live.

Sullivan successfully tracked down Jones and is helping to provide him with rent, new clothing and job opportunities to get him back on his feet.

“Steve was just one of hundreds of people who forgot about their own safety and rushed to the aid of others, and we were both moved by his story,” Sullivan said. “Steve deserves this chance to improve his own life after his selfless and heroic acts undoubtedly improved the lives of so many others.”

Featured Image via Flickr/Marc Bruneke