15-year-old ROTC hero sprints across parking lot, tackles thug who was attacking woman, 65: 'It's just the right thing to do'

A 15-year-old ROTC student sprinted across a Florida supermarket parking lot earlier this month and tackled a wannabe carjacker who was assaulting a 65-year-old woman.

Andrew Papp's reason for his heroic actions that day? "It's just the right thing to do," he told WTVT-TV.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

What are the details?

"He told me to give him my keys, and I said no and turned away from him, and he was still all over me," Billie Richert, the victim of the Dec. 4 attack outside a Publix supermarket in Riverview, noted to the station. Riverview is just under a half-hour southeast of Tampa.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Video shows the suspect throwing Richert to the ground — and that's when Andrew jumped into action.

"I started chasing after him, and he turned around and tried to fight me," Andrew, a sophomore at Riverview High School, recounted to WTVT, adding that the suspect "was trying to grab my neck and grab my chain, and so I just kind of held him on the ground."

The station added that another hero named Dan, a former Green Beret, helped Andrew subdue the suspect until police arrived.

"I mean that could be someone's mom, someone's aunt," Andrew added to WTVT. "Like, if that was my mom, and someone did that to my mom, and he got away, that's just, like, that's terrible."

Yet the station said Andrew hardly said a word about it in school.

However, his school principal sure did. WTVT said Brian Spiro this week honored Andrew in front of his Junior ROTC class, describing how he saved the woman.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

"Andrew saw that as an opportunity to step in and protect her, and he did so decisively," Spiro said, according to the station.

Not even Andrew's dad knew all the details — not until he saw a Facebook post asking who the heroic teen was who stepped in to help, WTVT noted.

"I couldn't ask for a better son," Andrew's father, Coy Reavis, told the station.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Andrew chalked up his heroics to how he was brought up.

"I think it's just the way that I was raised," he told WTVT, "Just doing the right thing. Like my parents had a huge impact and so did my friends."

A 'thank you' over FaceTime

Richert wasn’t injured and was in Virginia with family for Christmas when she learned about Andrew, the station said, adding that officials from his school arranged a FaceTime meeting this week so she could thank her teenage hero.

"Thank you so much for helping me when I needed help," Richert told Andrew, adding that "your mama raised a good boy."

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Richert's granddaughters chimed in with multiple thank-yous on the FaceTime chat as well while they were making Christmas cookies, the station said, adding that Richert has promised to bake cookies for Andrew upon her return to Florida.

Anything else?

Robert Moore, 42, was arrested in connection with the incident and charged with robbery by sudden snatching, battery on a victim over 65, and battery, WTVT reported.

Image source: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office

Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said that "the swift actions of these Good Samaritans echo the strength and unity of our tight-knit community."

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