Williamsburg
Standing O is lighting up the O for Luis Ruiz and Antonio Pina. The pair put on their superhero capes and rescued Miriam Braverman from an attempted rape.
“Far too often people stand back and watch things happen and say it’s not their business. Brooklyn is a safer place to raise healthy children and families because of these honorees’ service to our communities,” said Borough President Adams at the Hero of the Month ceremony at Borough Hall.
The pair, on their way home from work on Oct. 17, heard strange noises from a nearby van. Instinct told them to check it out. They found a man on top of and aggressively shaking 27-year-old Miriam Braverman. When they approached and asked if everything was okay, the man walked away without showing his face. As the victim lifted her head, they saw her bloody condition. Ruiz stayed with the victim, and Piña, a former auxiliary police officer at the 90th Precinct, got cops on the phone and told them exactly where the man was headed. When back up arrived, Piña identified him for arrest.
“These men are both first-degree heroes who showed not just their physical strength, but their emotional and mental fortitude,” said Adams. “As a former police officer, I know no crime has more of a chilling impact on a family than sexual abuse, and we were able to prevent that from happening here.
Brooklyn Borough Hall [209 Joralemon St. at Court Street in Brooklyn Heights, (718) 802–3700].
