With no bus-driving experience at all, 27-year-old Ebro Ahmed sprinted after a runaway school bus in St. Paul, Minnesota, jumped aboard, accidentally threw it in reverse — and still managed to stop it before anyone was hurt.
Monday, October 19, was an ordinary afternoon for Ebro Ahmed. He was on break from his family's tobacco shop, Ya Bricks Snacks and Tobacco, when he spotted a Battle Creek Middle School bus roll past with its doors hanging open and lights flashing.
He looked inside. What he saw made his blood run cold.
The driver was "seizing up."
The Chase
Ahmed did what most people only think about doing. He sprinted after the bus — moving at about 10 miles per hour — and jumped aboard while it was still rolling.
Nineteen children were on board. Some were crying. Some were on their phones calling police. The bus had no driver in control.
Ahmed, who had never driven a bus in his life, grabbed the controls and fumbled. His first move was a mistake.
"I started hearing beeps, and we were going backwards," he said. He had accidentally thrown the bus into reverse.
Bringing It to a Stop
Somehow, in the middle of the panic, Ahmed found neutral. Then he pulled the parking brake.
The bus stopped. Nobody on board was hurt.
Two girls in the front had stayed calm through the whole thing — helping by holding his phone and his glasses while he wrestled with the controls.
The driver was taken to the hospital. Saint Paul Public Schools confirmed the medical emergency that started it all.
"You Never See Doctors Panic"
When asked afterward how he kept his cool through something like that, Ahmed pointed to an unlikely teacher.
"In 'Grey's Anatomy,' you never see doctors panic," he said. The TV show, he explained, taught him to stay steady when everything goes wrong.
"Even If I Were to Die, It Would Still Be Worth It"
Ahmed doesn't consider himself a hero. He considers himself someone who did the only thing that made sense.
"I really felt like it was my duty," he said. "Even if I were to die, it would still be worth it."
Nineteen families in St. Paul sent their kids to school that morning with no idea what was coming. One 27-year-old on his shop break made sure they all came home.
Reported from coverage by the New York Post, School Transportation News (ABC News), and KSTP, October 2026.
