Anthony Stapleton was hailed a hero yesterday after he jumped into the murky waters of a swollen East Dry River, Port-of-Spain, to save a woman. Coincidentally, Stapleton, 48, became homeless the night before when the apartment he was renting at Beverly Hills, Laventille, was firebombed.He walked down to the shelter for the socially displaced at the Nipdec car park, Old St Joseph Road, Port-of-Spain, on Wednesday night, where he stayed.
Homeless, divorced and with no money, he said he saw any human life as valuable.Stapleton, with only the clothing on his back, said he did not think when he jumped into the water to save the life of 21-year-old Giselle Myers Alexander. Alexander, who also is homeless, was asleep under the bridge when she was swept away.
After seeing Alexander tumbling over in the water and fighting for her life, Stapleton jumped in and dragged her to safety.Trying to catch his breath, hungry and dripping wet, Stapleton, who suffers from diabetes, praised Allah.He said: "It was a life. I could have been dead in that fire last night... He (Allah) saved me last night."I guess God saved me for a purpose and I guess this was the purpose.
"I get my blessings from Allah. I heard people saying she was in the water. It is a life and I just jumped in after her." Stapleton said he was hoping for Government intervention in getting a home of his own. He said: "Everything I own is gone and all I have is what is on my back."Yes, I would like to get a home again... Yes, please, please. I came to live there (in Beverly Hills) a month now.
He added: "I just got divorced and was trying to rebuild myself but now I am homeless again."I saw her rolling up-and-down and I told her to hold on to something. Now I have to take my insulin... I didn't even eat." Alexander was taken to the back of a pick-up truck where she was treated by EHS personnel."I was asleep under the bridge," was all Alexander said could say, before complaining of pains. She suffered bruises to the head, arms and legs.
Police Supt Carlton Alleyne, who was at the scene, said Stapleton was a "hero and brave" for saving Alexander.He said: "It was really heroic and brave. We heard the commotion and saw the body coming down in the water and we came across the road."They used to sleep under the bridge and the water came rushing down and picked her up."