While conducting a routine patrol around Brooklyn Park in Minnesota, police officers Jeremy Halek and Tony Weeks stumbled upon a car pulled over to the side of the road.
In the middle of the road, Halek and Weeks noticed a young driver standing over the curb, crouching down, doing something unusual.
“We just saw a car kind of pulled over. You could tell something was going on,” Weeks told CBS News.
Upon closer look, they saw something particularly heartwarming.
“Is he giving CPR? I think (he is), look at him!” one of the officers exclaimed excitedly.
The man—19-year-old Chris Felix—was trying to revive an unresponsive squirrel by using his finger to gently pump its chest. “I just couldn’t believe it. He’s giving CPR to a squirrel,” Weeks said.
Apparently, the little animal darted out and hit Felix’s car.
Felix, now working at a local Subaru, cleaning cars, said, “It didn’t look like he had any life, you know?”
Though the squirrel appeared lifeless, Felix held on to a ray of hope as he administered CPR—what he learned in high school—on the rodent. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a little life or a big life,” said Felix, who wanted to go into medicine. “Life is life.”
Cherishing all life, Felix pumped the rodent’s chest with great effort, but the squirrel remained unconscious. Just when the officers thought the squirrel was dead for sure, it began to show signs of life. To the amazement of Felix and the officers, the rodent suddenly scurried back to its feet, then leapt away to freedom.
“There he goes!” they shouted.
“Good work!” one of the officers praised Felix as he shook the young hero’s hand. “Something I’ll always remember,” Halek said.
“Thank you for showing kindness and mercy to this poor little creature. The world needs more people like you,” one social media user wrote. Another commented, “Thanks for caring!” “Yay!!!! His big tender heart helped that squirrel,” another poster remarked.
Thank you Felix for showing compassion to the squirrel. Instead of driving away, you chose to do all you could to save a little animal’s life, even when nobody was looking. Your act of kindness has warmed our hearts.
